Cuba and the US blockade

That this House recognises that the US blockade of Cuba has cost the Cuban economy billions of dollars, causes shortages in essential services and has been exacerbated by the Trump administration’s designation of Cuba as state sponsor of terrorism – a politically motivated move which intensifies sanctions against the Cuban people in the middle of a health pandemic; welcomes recent comments by Juan González, White House Director for the Western Hemisphere, that the Biden administration is seeking to lift remittance and travel restrictions; hopes measures will be taken to enable Cuba to access materials to produce and deliver millions of doses of its covid-19 vaccine both to its own population and elsewhere; congratulates the Government for voting against the blockade, and on its positive engagement with Cuba, including joint projects on covid-19, medical research and facilitating the posting of Cuban medical brigades to British overseas territories; and calls on the Government to promote international cooperation between Cuba and the UK and to encourage the Biden administration to normalise relations by reversing the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism and ending the blockade.