communist Cuba in search for money
Today at 11:03 AM
EU Boss Praises Communist Cuba and
Obama Era on Havana Visit,
Ignores Human Rights Abuses
European Union Foreign Minister and top diplomat for failed to raise human rights concerns on a trip to Communist Cuba.
· High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini used the trip to boast that the EU is now Cuba’s most important trading partner, and also met with dictator Raúl Castro.
She
also made a subtle dig at President Donald J. Trump, saying the EU
would continue the approach to Cuba championed by predecessor Barack
Obama “regardless of the changes in policy in Washington.”
“Nearly 900 arbitrary detentions of government critics take place in Cuba every month,” blasted
Guy Verhofstadt, a federalist, anti-Brexit MEP who was formerly Prime
Minister of Belgium and currently leads the Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats for Europe (ALDE) in the European Parliament.
“Federica Mogherini just visited the island but didn’t meet civil
society representatives or political opposition. What a missed
opportunity and weak, regrettable strategy!”
Ms. Mogherini arrived in the murderous one-party state on Wednesday, aiming to strengthen its ties with the EU.
The
EU said in a statement that Ms. Mogherini’s visit “reconfirms the
strong EU-Cuban relationship” and that she would push for an “ambitious
and swift joint implementation of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation
Agreement.”
“I
was here visiting just a few days before the visit of President Obama,
and I remember at the time there was much talk about Cuba strengthening
relations with both the European Union and the United States,” Ms.
Mogherini told Reuters when asked about Mr. Trump’s rollback of ties with Cuba.
“Regardless
of the changes in policy in Washington, the message I am bringing here
is that the friendship and relationship with the EU is here to stay.
It’s solid, it’s stable and it’s reliable,” she said.
Just as U.S. relations deteriorated with Cuba, the EU dropped all sanctions and opened up trade with the island in December 2016.
submitted by Calvo Ricardo
submitted by Calvo Ricardo