Cuba, EU sign deal to normalize ties
Cuba and the European Union (EU) have inked a historic agreement to bilateral normalize ties.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla and EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini signed the agreement on political “dialogue and cooperation” on Monday.
“Today, we recognize that there’s been change in Cuba,” said Mogherini. “We are at a real turning point in relations between the EU and Cuba.”
She said that, through the new agreement, “the EU shows its willingness to support the process of economic and social modernization in Cuba, and I hope we will continue to advance in our bilateral relations.”
Parrilla said, “Economic links with Europe will continue to be a priority for Cuba as we build a socialist economy.”
The agreement “demonstrates that with good will and respect it is possible to make progress and resolve differences,” he said.
The deal needs to be approved by the European Parliament and each of the 28 member counties.
Ties between the Latin American country and the EU were suspended in 2003, after Brussels imposed sanctions against Havana over a crackdown on journalists and activists. Issues remained undiscussed between the two sides until 2008, but talks to officially normalize relations finally began in 2014.
Havana insisted that Brussels should drop its human rights policy, saying the union was interfering in its domestic affairs. The talks eventually concluded in March 2016.
Cuba had been the only Latin American country not to have signed a “dialogue and cooperation” agreement with the EU.
In 2015, Cuba also normalized ties with the United States after more than five decades of hostilities that began during the Cold War but survived the era.
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