{"id":209970,"date":"2019-11-30T18:36:48","date_gmt":"2019-11-30T23:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=209970"},"modified":"2019-11-30T18:36:48","modified_gmt":"2019-11-30T23:36:48","slug":"eu-diplomats-listen-to-ngos-and-businesspeople-in-cuba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/eu-diplomats-listen-to-ngos-and-businesspeople-in-cuba\/","title":{"rendered":"EU diplomats listen to NGOs and businesspeople in Cuba"},"content":{"rendered":"

The day before a meeting with Cuban authorities, European officials arrived on the island to take note of the way in which non-governmental organizations and businesspeople from <\/span>European Union (EU)<\/span><\/a> countries have been affected by U.S. sanctions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Headed by Katja Afheldt, head of the Mexico, Central America and Caribbean Division of the European External Action Service, the delegation of almost half a dozen diplomats will be present Friday in a political dialogue with their Cuban counterparts.<\/span><\/p>\n

But this Thursday they planned a meeting with the managers of nine non-governmental organizations and another with businesspeople based on the island so they could report on the difficulties they face due to the U.S. sanctions, said the EU ambassador to Cuba, Alberto Navarro.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe European Union strongly condemns the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States. You have to call things by their name, it is a blockade that is trying to suffocate the Cuban economy,\u201d Navarro said in a reception hosted for businesspeople this Wednesday night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Navarro invited businesspeople to express their concerns about the U.S. sanctions, ranging from difficulties in transactions and opening bank accounts to the impossibility of importing material from abroad.<\/span><\/p>\n

UE dispuesta a tener un \u201crol importante\u201d en el desarrollo de Cuba<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n