(Shorthand Versions - Presidency of the Republic)
Dear President Lula;
Dear Heads of State and Heads of Delegations:
I believe I must begin by thanking you, on behalf of my country and my people, for our integration into BRICS as a partner. BRICS today is synonymous with hope. The hope that multilateralism will be saved from the chaos and ineffectiveness into which the arrogance of a few has plunged the UN, which 80 years ago was born to prevent war from being an alternative for the solution of conflicts, urgently in need of the profound reforms that the Global South has been demanding for more than half a century.
The octogenarian organization is dangerously fragmented and seriously threatened by a progressive erosion of multilateralism that translates into high risks for international peace and security.
The horror of the last weeks and months clearly shows where the diplomacy of force leads. The Government of the United States, using and abusing its undoubted military, economic, financial and every other kind of power, except moral, constantly acts with absolute disregard for the principles and norms of International Law and the Charter of the United Nations. It withdraws from various international organizations and forums; declares plans for land usurpation and annexation of territories; justifies and promotes supremacist ideas; carries out massive, violent and racist deportations of migrants, and no longer even hides its ambitious and spurious geostrategic interests.
It is the same power that supported the recent aggressions of the Government of Israel against Iran and carried out a direct attack on the Persian nation with the bombings perpetrated against three nuclear facilities.
Cuba reiterates its solidarity with the people and Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of Israel's aggression and strongly condemns the attack initiated by the United States, because these acts constitute a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, and a serious violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
We also reiterate our strongest condemnation of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, also perpetrated by Israel, with the permanent political, military and financial support of the United States, whose government guarantees the impunity of the Zionist regime and obstructs, through the anti-democratic right of veto, the action of the United Nations Security Council.
A comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an indispensable premise for bringing peace to the Middle East region at this delicate moment for international relations.
As long as this barbarism is not stopped, we will be living in the prehistory of what once created something as promising for peace as the so-called United Nations.
That is why I have spoken of hope. In the face of the threatening scenario described above, BRICS is emerging, whose member countries and partners, so different, so unequal in their level of development, are moving forward promoting common ideals of peace, dialogue, mutual respect, cooperation and solidarity.
The group's commitment to building a fairer and more inclusive international order, without which it will not be possible to achieve the sustainable development that we all deserve and that has been so long delayed for nations tied to the underdevelopment curse left to us by centuries of colonialism and neocolonialism, is very inspiring.
In this endeavor, it is urgent to reform from its roots the current international financial architecture and its non-transparent and undemocratic institutions, designed to perpetuate the exclusion and exploitation of the nations of the South.
A more inclusive and democratic governance of Artificial Intelligence is also an indispensable premise, ensuring that all countries have access to its benefits and avoiding its use contrary to peace and international law.
Present and future generations have the right to live in a world of peace and security, where social justice, respect for cultural, ethnic and religious plurality, and democratic access to science and technology prevail. A world where all human rights for all are realizable without politicization or double standards, based on cooperation and respect for the right of each country to choose its political, economic and social system, without external interference. A world without cruel blockades and unilateral coercive measures, contrary to International Law.
After six decades of an economic blockade converted into the laws of a foreign country, which has been reinforced time and again with the sole and declared purpose of provoking a social explosion, Cuba is today facing a new act of imperial arrogance contrary to International Law.
We arrive at this Summit with the news that a new package of coercive measures, totally aimed at the economic suffocation of the country, has been added to the historical blockade, by means of a Presidential Memorandum. The document takes up the old imperial pretension that it is up to them to determine who and how should lead the destinies of our nation. And all in the name of supposed democracy!
No other country has had to build its social and development project under the prolonged, cruel and systematic application of an economic, commercial and financial siege by the greatest power in history.
The blockade is an act of aggression, the offensive extraterritorial application of which damages the sovereignty of all States. Its purpose is rooted in the past, it has no sense or justification and must cease.
In the 21st century, there is also no place for unilateral listings and certifications based on unfounded criteria, such as the unjust and arbitrary designation of Cuba on the list of alleged State sponsors of terrorism, which extends the siege to the rest of the world. The United States has no moral authority or international mandate to certify Cuba or any other country.
To face common challenges, humanity does not need blockades, false supremacism and appetites for domination and exploitation. What the human species urgently needs in order to survive is more respect for our legitimate differences, more dialogue, cooperation and integration.
A firm and renewed commitment to multilateralism is urgently needed to guarantee peaceful coexistence and promote sustainable, equitable and inclusive development for all peoples. It is therefore urgent to nurture and strengthen BRICS, which we are honored to join with the noble aspiration to contribute and learn.
In this endeavor, we can always count on Cuba!
Thank you very much (Applause).
