Mexican president expects 'positive' US response to Cuban embargo plea

MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday that he was confident the US government would have a "positive" response to his call for Washington to lift its decades-old trade embargo against Cuba.

"I am sure that the US government will have a positive response, because this type of policy has no benefit," he said during his daily press conference, noting the embargo is "extreme" and "medieval."

Lopez Obrador reiterated that his administration opposes the embargo, as do the majority of United Nations member countries.

On Monday, Lopez Obrador urged his US counterpart Joe Biden to rethink its sanctions policy against the Caribbean island nation, saying, "It has nothing to do with the fraternity that should exist among the peoples of the world."

The Mexican government is due to send two ships of aid to Cuba, comprising oxygen, medicine, food and fuel, to help alleviate the economic and health crises sparked by the pandemic.

According to Cuba's official statistics, the US embargo has led to more than 144.1 billion US dollars in losses over nearly 60 years.