New York, 26 September 2019. Cuba participated in the commemoration of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, held within the framework of the High-level Segment of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, recalled that this commemoration is an important initiative promoted by the Non-Aligned Movement, of which the island is a founding member. Likewise, he recalled that Latin America is the first Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone created in a densely populated area, as well as the first to be proclaimed as a Zone of Peace; while Cuba itself is the fifth State Party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. He also called upon the ratification of said Treaty.
The Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated his willingness to work together with the international community to strengthen and consolidate multilateralism and to promote a world free of nuclear weapons, as a firm commitment to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. At the same time, he reaffirmed the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy without discrimination, taking into account its contribution, and that of nuclear technology, to the socio-economic development of nations.
The total elimination of nuclear weapons must be the highest priority in the area of disarmament, while their possession cannot be justified under any security concept or doctrine, he said.
Rodríguez Parrilla rejected the decision of the United States government to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran Nuclear Deal and from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed with the former Soviet Union in 1987, violating the rules of coexistence among States and having serious consequences for international stability and security. He noted that the United States is the nation with the greatest number of nuclear weapons ready to be used, with more than 46% of the world total.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations