Venezuela demands lift of sanctions against Iran, Cuba, Russia at UNGA

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During the speech of Venezuelan Chancellor Carlos Faría at the 77th United Nations General Assembly, the Venezuelan government demanded an end to the persecutional and economical sanctions against Nicaragua, 'sister' Cuba, Iran, and Russia - derived from a letter sent by president Nicolas Maduro. 

The Maduro administration further urged, before the UNGA floor, for the recognition and respect of the rights of all peoples of the world, namely the Sahrawi people and the Palestinian people who are "denied rights to their homeland."

Faría referenced the matter of more than 913 sanctions against his country, which he labeled as "illegal impositions" and crimes against humanity, emphasizing that the hefty bundle of sanctions impedes Venezuela's ability to develop and nurture its necessities, alongside collective and individual freedom and enjoyment.

He stressed that the Global North must "recognize that the unipolar, colonialist system cannot adequately respond to the problems and needs that they themselves have created [in] harming humanity, animal life, and the planet," maintaining at the same time that they “have never been able to break the will of our people."

At the UNGA as well, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla also tackled the sanctions issue, decrying the 60 years of US economic embargo against Cuba which he described as "vast, cruel and immoral." Rodriguez Parilla recalled, in his speech, that the UNGA had voted 29 times, with an overwhelming majority, to end the "ruthless and unilateral" embargo on Cuba, and that the US ignored the assembly's decision 29 times.

Concerning Russia, Rodriguez Parilla reiterated Cuba's solidarity with Russia in preserving peace and security in the world, while Lavrov expressed support for Havana in its demand for "a complete and immediate lifting of the US embargo," in a meeting between the foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York on Friday.

Read more: In defiance of US sanctions, Venezuela to manufacture 4 Iranian cars

Just earlier this month, Vice President for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols testified before Congress that if Maduro refuses to enter into formal negotiations with the nation's US-backed opposition, the United States is prepared to reimpose sanctions and take other comprehensive steps.