Credit:  europeanunion /  Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez meets EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherin in Brussels  May 24, 2019

DIPLOMATIC TIMES STAFF

EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini met today in Brussels with Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez, Friday to discuss bilateral relations and latest developments in the region. The European Union-Cuba relations have been reinforced under the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement and both the High Representative and the Minister expressed satisfaction on the progress, the EU said in a statement.   The Cuba and EU foreign ministers  also discussed preparations for the next meeting of the EU-Cuba Joint Council scheduled for September. 

CUBA Praises EU For Standing UP To United States on  Helms-Burtons  Cuban Property Law

Rodriguez Parrilla said on Twitter that during the meeting with the Vice President of the European Commission he praised the EU’s position in rejecting the Helms-Burton law imposed by the United States against Cuba.

I had cordial meeting with #EU High Rep. @FedericaMog. We recognized good relations between Cuba & EU & positive results of PDCA. I appreciated rejection of #HelmBurtonAct. I ratified importance that initiatives on #Venezuela favor broad, inclusive & sovereign dialogue with govt. pic.twitter.com/YrBICw2VAE

— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) May 24, 2019

“We recognized good relations between Cuba & EU & positive results of PDCA. I ratified importance that the initiatives on Venezuela favor broad, inclusive and sovereign dialogue with govt.”

-Cuba Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez

While the U.S. under President Trump is rapidly breaking all political  and  economic ties with Cuba that his predecessor Barack Obama established, the European Union has substantially increased investments in the socialist nation over the past two years.  The EU bloc imported some €470 million worth of Cuban goods in 2017 and exported more than two billion euros’ worth.The Trump administration announced last month it is allowing former owners of commercial property expropriated by Cuba to sue companies and the Cuban government for using or “trafficking” in those confiscated holdings.  In March,  the U.S. Department of State  eliminated the highly sought after 5-year travel visa for Cuban citizens visiting America. The EU has sharply criticized the US for activating,  effective today May 2,  Title III of the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD).  Lawsuits will now  be allowed in American courts against Cuban companies using property seized during the 1959 revolution.

Photo by Gary Raynaldo /  Diplomatic Times / The Habana Libre Hotel, located in the Vedado section of Havana, used to be the American-owned  Havana Hilton before Fidel Castro came to power and confiscated it along with other US properties in Cuba. The hotel, currently managed by Spain’s Melia chain,  could become a target of U.S. litigation.

Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez meets EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherin in Brussels  May 24, 2019

They also spoke about the latest developments in the region, in particular in Venezuela, where there is an urgent need to promote a peaceful and democratic solution to the crisis, according to the EU.