Angolan President João Lourenço has called for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed on Cuba by the United States. 

Addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lourenço expressed Angola's continued solidarity with Cuba and called for the restrictions to be lifted.

President Lourenço says the embargo continues to affect Cuba's economy and its ability to pursue development. 

He called on the international community to support Cuba and remove measures that, he says, hinder the country's economic and social progress. 

"We are concerned by the unjust and deeply insensitive way in which Cuba has been treated over the decades, as it remains subject to an embargo that continues and worsens the living conditions of the Cuban people. Cuba is not a terrorist state. It does not produce or possess nuclear, chemical or biological weapons that could pose an imminent or real threat to the national security of other countries, including its neighbours. On the contrary, Cuba contributed to the downfall of South Africa's racist and segregationist apartheid regime, a regime widely and unanimously condemned by the international community. As a consequence, Cuba became one of the signatories to the New York Tripartite Accords of 22 December 1988. Since the embargo is the main cause of the dire situation in which Cuba and the Cuban people find themselves, and because it is inhumane, unjust, and contrary to the principles and norms of international law, we once again appeal for an end to the embargo against Cuba."

Angola's president's call comes as part of a broader appeal for a stronger multilateral system, respect for international law and greater cooperation between nations. 

Lourenço says dialogue and international cooperation remain important in addressing political and economic challenges facing countries around the world.