November 8, 2019 - 10:39 AMT
UN votes to end US embargo on Cuba for the 28th consecutive year

For the 28th consecutive year, the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba, the UN reveals.

During a vote held on Wednesday, November 8, 187 member states underlined their support for the resolution while Brazil and Israel joined the US in voting no.

Two countries—Colombia and Ukraine—abstained.

“Like all nations, we get to choose which countries we trade with. This is our sovereign right,” Kelly Craft, the US Ambassador to the UN, said prior to the vote.

“So, it is worrying that the international community, in the name of protecting sovereignty, continues to challenge this right.”

The embargo is rooted in the Cold War, when Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries seized power.

Tensions only eased more than a half-century later when the Obama administration established diplomatic relations with Cuba, modifying several aspects of the embargo such as lifting some travel restrictions.

As the resolution states, these policies “contrast” with measures implemented by the current President, Donald Trump, in 2017.