The high representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security, Estonia Kaja Kallas, defended on Tuesday the continuity of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between Cuba and the Community Block.
Kallas said that although the agreement “has not yet produced the exchange rate” desired by the EU, it has led to “significant advances”, at the time it advocated its maintenance as a space to “address our differences.”
In addition, he highlighted his relevance at the “serious economic crisis” that the island lives and the “global instability,” reports the agency EFE.
“I understand that many of those present consider that the agreement has not contributed as much as we would expect,” Kallas said during a debate on the situation in Cuba in the plenary session of the European Parliament.
“However, in the midst of the serious economic crisis of Cuba and the broader global instability, the objectives of this agreement remain relevant to promote reform, promote respect for human rights and accompany the economic and social modernization of Cuba,” said the Estonia policy, cited by the Spanish environment.
Given the requests for conservative and extreme right formations to suspend the agreement due to the situation of human rights on the island – through a safeguard clause in that sense -, the head of European diplomacy stressed that the treaty, “has nothing to do with the country, the people, decide a democratic approach or not.”
“While European values are promoted and European interests are protected, the agreement provides us with a structured framework,” he said about the Pact, which governs relations between the two parties since 2016.
Díaz-Canel on agreement with the EU: “It is a transparent, democratic and honest discussion space”
At the same time, Kallas made it clear that “we all agree that Cuban citizens should be able to express themselves freely and without fear” and that “the rule of law is incompatible with arbitrary arrests,” he says EFE.
“We all believe that the Cuban people, such as peoples around the world, must be able to choose their government through free and democratic elections. That said, the issue today is how we commit ourselves to Cuba. We must do it on the basis of our values and our interests,” said the diplomat.
A bilateral exchange space
The high European representative stressed that the agreement with Cuba offers “a space to talk about the issues in which we agree, but especially those in which we disagree”, such as human rights or the invasion of Russia against Ukraine.
-“The agreement is not the way to ignore our differences; it is a way of addressing our differences,” he said.
On April 30, a spokesman for Kallas issued a statement in his name in which he regretted the revocation of probation in Cuba to the historic opponents José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro, and urged the Cuban authorities to review that decision.
In addition, he asked Havana to release “all people detained for exercising their rights to the peaceful meeting and freedom of expression.”
This statement caused the reaction of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, which described it as “interference and disrespectful.” The Minrex pointed out that the EU has no “right or moral authority” to comment on what happened and does not know “the truth and information offered by the Supreme Court of Cuba” about the cases of Ferrer and Navarro.
The minrex clashes with the European Union for the opponents José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro
This Tuesday, Kallas acknowledged that the UE-Cuba agreement “has not yet produced the exchange rate we want, but has contributed to significant advances,” and referred to “progressive provisions in the 2019 Constitution”, the adoption of a new family law or the progress of the private sector.
In turn, he asked “to consider the broader geopolitical context” and that Cuba “maintains historical ties with Russia”, to the point that its president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, will attend this May 9 to the day of victory in Moscow, with which Russia celebrates the end of World War II, he said.
“However, Cuba has abstained in six UN votes on Russian aggression in Ukraine, including the most recent, and plays a role in the multilateral scene,” he said.
“Given the economic difficulties and the changing geopolitical dynamics, the agreement remains the best trick of the European Union to promote our values, defend our interests and support reforms,” said the diplomat.
In addition, Kallas also highlighted the pact as “a means to counteract the influence of global actors” on the island.
EFE / ONCUBA
