Cuba's Ambassador to United Nations Office in Geneva Juan Quintanilla on Monday reaffirmed his nation's commitment to the non-proliferation of weapons while also denouncing the U.S. unilateral coercive measures against his country.
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His remarks came in the context of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) which represents the first legally binding multilateral mechanism for disarmament.
Rejecting Cuba's inclusion on the U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism, the Ambassador rejected the economic blockade maintained by several U.S. presidential administrations for over 50 years.
"It is a truth recognized by all that Cuba is not a state sponsor of terrorism. Its conduct in the face of this scourge has been impeccable. We reject terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," Quintanilla said.
The NPT was adopted on July 7, 2017, and came into force on Jan. 22, 2021. As of Jan. 23, 2021, 51 States, 21 of which were from Latin America and the Caribbean, had ratified the document.
Cuba was the 5th state to ratify the NPT following its signature on Sept. 29, 2017. This decision was made in correspondence with the Cuban constitution, which promotes actions to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction.
The Caribbean nation is also a party to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America (the Tlatelolco Treaty) signed in 1967.