Cuba Welcomes Expelled UN Diplomat: Tur de la Concepción Returns After Scuffle

Cuban diplomat Richard Tur de la Concepción returned to Havana on Friday after the United States expelled him from the United Nations headquarters in New York. The move followed a public altercation at the General Assembly that involved U.S. Representative Mike Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez.

Vice Foreign Minister Gerardo Peñalver announced the arrival on X, sharing a photo of Tur holding a Cuban flag with ministry officials at the airport. Peñalver described Tur as a young diplomat who faced the U.S. delegation with dignity and firmness. The official stated that the American staff attempted to disrupt the vote on a resolution opposing U.S. sanctions and Tur’s candidacy for a UN organ.

The dispute began on Tuesday during a plenary session. U.S. representatives accused Tur of pushing a colleague and trying to take the phone used to record the proceedings. The session focused on a document rejecting U.S. sanctions against the island. The confrontation escalated into a shouting match between Waltz and Rodríguez. Waltz initially reported the removal of Tur, who served as first secretary of the Cuban Mission to the UN, and the State Department later confirmed the expulsion.

Tur expressed gratitude for the reception in Cuba. He wrote on X that the island would prevail over American arrogance and those seeking to intimidate it. The diplomatic incident occurred against a backdrop of rising tension between the two nations. President Donald Trump imposed an energy blockade in January aimed at forcing changes in the Cuban government and its political model.

The General Assembly concluded its session on Wednesday. Members approved the resolution proposed by Cuba by a vote of 130 in favor, 17 against, and 25 abstentions. The document serves as an annual multilateral statement and does not carry binding legal force. Tur’s return marks the immediate aftermath of this specific clash within the larger diplomatic dispute.