The Foreign Affairs Council will sign today a new agreement between the European Union and Cuba aiming to open a new era of relations that includes cooperation in the fight against drugs and criminality, the preservation of cultural heritage and social development.
Ahead of this signature, ALDE Group 2nd Vice President, Pavel Telicka, initiated a meeting of over 30 organizations of the peaceful Cuban opposition movement, both from the island as well as in exile, including Sakharov Prize winner Guillermo Farinas. During a 2-days meeting in Florida these opposition representatives discussed the future of Cuba and perspectives for relations with the EU, including the details of the new agreement. At the conclusion of this meeting the participants adopted a joint statement which formulates 6 requests to be fulfilled by the government in Havanna.
At the end of the meetings, Pavel Telicka said: “I believe that an EU-Cuba cooperation agreement may open new space for improved relations, but the European Union must keep human rights and fundamental freedoms at the core of this agreement and substantial improvement must become a pre-condition in the talks with the Cuban government as well as conditional to economic concessions from the EU side. I urge the High Representative, Federica Mogherini, to recognise that there is a political opposition to the Government and not „just” human rights defenders, and to engage with this opposition and to listen to their voice before having this agreement ratified and implemented. If we want Cuba to become a modern country, this process must begin with the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms by its government.”
