Cuba, EU to continue talks on normalizing ties

Cuba, EU to continue talks on normalizing ties
2015/6/15 8:09:22

HAVANA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Cuba and the European Union (EU) will hold a
fourth round of talks starting Monday on normalizing bilateral ties, and
paving the way for unrestricted trade and political cooperation.

The talks, to be held in Brussels, Belgium, aim to address the fact that
Cuba is one of the few countries that do not have a political agreement
with the EU, which for years adopted the United States' policy of
isolating the island.

Cuban and EU diplomats have held three rounds of talks in the past year
and a half, after the European nations decided economic reforms launched
by Cuban leader Raul Castro merited a new stance towards the island nation.

In 1996, the EU adopted the so-called Common Position, which restricted
dealings with Cuba, citing a lack of democracy and human rights
violations. The policy was promoted in Europe by then president of Spain
Jose Maria Aznar (1996-2004).

Cuba is the only Latin American country with no bilateral agreement with
the European bloc, though in recent years it has signed individual
accords with over the half of EU members.

The head of the Cuban delegation to the talks, Deputy Foreign Affairs
Minister Abelardo Moreno, said a few days ago he expected this round of
talks to conclude a chapter on cooperation. The two sides will then move
on to more complex matters related to trade and political dialogue.

The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said Wednesday the
EU is determined to reach its first bilateral agreement with Cuba.

"We are committed to concluding our negotiations on a political dialogue
and cooperation agreement," Tusk said during the inauguration in
Brussels of a summit between the Community of Latin American and
Caribbean States (CELAC) and the EU.

The European bloc is Cuba's second-largest trade partner, with exchange
amounting to 3.6 billion dollars in 2013, and is a leading foreign
investor in the island, mainly in the tourism sector.

Source: Cuba, EU to continue talks on normalizing ties -
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