New York, 20 October 2021..Cuba participated today in the General Debate of the Fourth Committee of the United Nations, where Ambassador Yusnier Romero Puentes, deputy permanent representative of Cuba to the United Nations, highlighted that 61 years after the approval of the historic Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, adopted by the General Assembly through its resolution 1514 (XV), there still remain 17 colonial territories, which should be worrying for all.
In said context, the Cuban diplomat recalled that the colonial question of Puerto Rico has been considered by the Special Committee on Decolonization for over 44 years. He underscored that more than 64 years ago Puerto Rico was imposed the so-called status of Free Associated State, which attempted to mask the colonial situation of the island, a farce which was revealed by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and even by the government itself, when, in 2016, they clearly and unequivocally pointed out that Puerto Rico lacks sovereignty of its own and is completely subject to the powers of Washington, that is, it is a U.S. possession, a colonial territory.
Romero Puentes also upheld the right of the people of the Western Sahara to self-determination on the basis of the respect for the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the relevant UN resolutions. He called for a mutually acceptable political solution between the parties which envisages the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in the context of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV).
In his statement, he referred to the legitimate right of the Republic of Argentina in the sovereignty dispute over the Falkland, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas, which are part of its national territory. He called for a negotiated, just and definitive solution to the question of the Falkland Islands as soon as possible.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations
