Cuba and Namibia call for lifting of U.S. economic sanctions

Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called for the unconditional lifting of the United States economic embargo against Cuba. Speaking at a ceremony in Windhoek marking the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth, Nandi-Ndaitwah stated that unilateral coercive measures are incompatible with United Nations principles and cause significant suffering for ordinary citizens.

Simultaneously, Cuban Ambassador to the UN Ernesto Soberón Guzmán has criticized ongoing U.S. sanctions, arguing they obstruct Cuba's efforts to open its economy to private investment. Guzmán questioned the logic of continuous new sanctions, noting that they deter investors and tourists by causing shortages in fuel and electricity.

The United States has recently imposed additional economic penalties on Cuban state-owned mining, metal, and construction companies. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that new sanctions would continue to be announced to close off mechanisms used by the Cuban government.