2023-05-27 00:06:20
“The European Union has neither the capacity nor the will to impose changes in Cuba, but we do want to have a framework for dialogue on everything that unites us and differentiates us, without taboos or prohibitions,” he said. Joseph Borrell In the Habana. He High Representative of the EU He has met with the government’s top staff. Cooperation between the European bloc and the island has been at the center of the talks. The EU, Borrell pointed out, is the first commercial and investment partner. “During my visit I have had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the more than 700 European companies in the country.” But it has not been the only subject that brought Borrell to Cuba.
As expected, he publicly raised The situation of people arrested and sentenced after the social outbreak of 11J that has changed the political map of that country. In this sense, he has referred to “the situation created before, during and after the demonstrations and arrests of last July 21.” He recalled in this regard that the right to protest “It is at the heart of the values on which the European Union has been built and we give it priority in our international relations.” Borrell also announced that Eamon Gilmore, special representative of the European Union for Human Rights, will land in the largest of the Antilles in November.
The 3rd Joint Council has agreed on the cycle of new dialogues.
The next dialogue on human rights will be held in Havana in November and will be led by the EU Special Envoy for Human Rights @EamonGilmore pic.twitter.com/6oQxnVETWW
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) May 26, 2023
The economic crisis worsened after the pandemic, and crossed by scarcity, inflation and power outages, caused a kind of perfect storm in the streets two years ago. Never before had a protest of this scope taken place since Fidel Castro took power in January 1959. In January 2022, the Attorney General’s Office reported that there were 790 people indicted on criminal charges. In June of that year, 381 sentences of up to 25 years for serious cases of sedition were officially reported. The Government considered that although there were reasons for discontent, the demonstrations were organized through social networks by opposition groups in the United States.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine
“I have reiterated our clear position on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine,” Borrell said in turn. The invasion, he remarked, has become a “threat to global stability and security“.
Cuba is in the process of strengthening its economic and political alliance with Moscow. Despite these moves, the EU, the high representative said, hopes to “count on” his leadership to “promote respect” for “Ukrainian sovereignty.” For Borrell, it is “important to explain to Cuba” the position of the EU given that the island currently holds the presidency of the Group of 77 and China (G77) and, therefore, “plays a role and has a special responsibility in the multilateral sphere”.
Related news
Since the start of the war, both the political authorities and the media have avoided talking about Russia as an invader of Ukraine. Borrell also expressed in Havana the EU’s “concern” about the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarusian territory, another Cuban ally.
The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Anayansi Rodríguez, who accompanied Borrell, pointed out that her country advocates “for a serious diplomatic solution” and opposes sanctions against Russia. He also added “that history will hold the US accountable” for its “military doctrine outside NATO borders.”
#asks #Cuba #citizens #imprisoned #social #outbreak #send #human #rights #rapporteur #island