On the 26th (local time) at the 81st UN General Assembly general debate, Cuban
Foreign Minister Rodriguez called the decades-long US blockade "collective
punishment" aimed at provoking a humanitarian crisis. He said Cuba is peaceful,
US claims that Cuba is a threat are "nonsense", that Cuba poses no threat to the
US, and that Havana is ready to engage with Washington on the basis of sovereign
equality and respect for international law.