Relations between Cuba and the European Union (EU) are going through “an important level of work,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in statements offered to Spanish journalists and broadcast Tuesday on national television.
According to EFE, Díaz-Canel referred to Cuba’s link with the European bloc, sustained by the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (ADPC), signed in 2016 and currently in its fourth implementation phase.
This legal instrument allows the development of bilateral relations in political dialogue, economic and sectoral cooperation, and trade.
“There is mutual respect, there is agreement on different issues, there is a space for dialogue. And I believe that what is happening, what is signing the relations between Cuba and the EU is precisely the Political Dialogue (and Cooperation Agreement, ADPC), and it is responding to that,” he said.
The president positively valued the role of the ADPC, considering it a space for “transparent, democratic and respectful” exchange, which has allowed addressing both issues of common interest and points of disagreement between both parties.
He pointed out that it has been possible to discuss issues of interest, even “where we do not agree, have disagreements or do not have the same positions”.
Cuba and the EU
In his opinion, the agreement promotes cooperation for sustainable development, the strengthening of democracy, and the defense of human rights, and facilitates the search for shared solutions to global challenges.
In fact, the EU has emphasized the issue of human rights during the negotiation of the agreement, which led to the creation of a specific dialogue on this matter, in which both parties participate through regular meetings.
Regarding economic cooperation, he highlighted the significant presence of European companies in key sectors of the Cuban economy and assured that there are numerous programs and joint projects underway.
In this regard, he noted that the European Union is among the island’s main trading partners.
The President also referred to the “position of respect” and the “good level of relations” existing between the Cuban and Spanish governments.
Finally, he highlighted the “family relationship between Cuba and Spain, of peoples that, even if there is a government that wants to break that relationship, it is impossible”.
