On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, the Fourth Round of the Dialogue between Cuba and the European Union (EU) on Unilateral Coercive Measures met in Brussels, Belgium, under the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between Cuba, the European Union and its Member States.
Rodolfo Benítez Verson, Director General of Multilateral Affairs and International Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, and Pelayo Castro Zuzuárregui, Deputy Director General for the Americas of the European External Action Service, chaired the respective delegations.
The exchanges, which continue those held virtually in March 2021, took place in a respectful and constructive climate.
The parties shared updated information on the damage caused by the United States blockade, both to the Cuban people and to the citizens and economic and commercial interests of the EU, due to its extraterritorial nature.
According to Cuban press, the intensification of this illegal and criminal policy was evident with the arbitrary inclusion of Cuba in the List prepared unilaterally by the United States Department of State of countries supposedly sponsoring terrorism.
Cuban thanked the unanimous position of the European Union in support of the resolution that, at the proposal of Cuba, is adopted annually by the UN General Assembly, demanding the lifting of the blockade.
Delegations discussed practical actions to protect legitimate relations between the two sides and shared their experience with US legal proceedings under the Helms-Burton Act.
It was agreed to hold a technical exchange between experts from both parties on the extraterritorial effects of the Helms-Burton Act, which codifies the blockade against Cuba.
There was agreement on the importance of the effective implementation of Regulation 2271/96 of the European Council, which protects its Member States from the extraterritorial impacts of the aforementioned US law.
The interest was evident in continuing to jointly identify mechanisms and frameworks that contribute to promoting trade, investments and cooperation between Cuba and the European Union, promoting exchanges and protecting the legitimate interests of operators on both sides.
It was agreed to hold specific exchanges on cooperation actions between the European Union and Cuba, which contribute to the diversification and economic updating and development of the Island.
The delegations agreed to maintain a fluid dialogue on unilateral coercive measures, including in multilateral forums, based on mutual respect, sovereign equality, legality and non-interference in the internal affairs of States.
As a result of the dialogues, four agreements were reached, which are reflected in the annex to this press release.
MAIN POINTS
ACTIONS AGREED BETWEEN CUBA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION AS A RESULT OF THE IV DIALOGUE ON UNILATERAL COERCITIVE MEASURES.
Brussels, Belgium, April 26, 2024
1. Organize a technical exchange between experts from the two parties, as part of the current implementation cycle of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, on the extraterritorial effects of what is known as the Helms-Burton Law.
2. Continue to jointly explore possible mechanisms and frameworks that contribute to promoting a favorable environment to promote trade, investments and cooperation between Cuba and the European Union, promote exchanges and protect the legitimate interests of operators on both sides.
3. Maintain fluid exchanges in those multilateral forums in which issues specific to this Dialogue are addressed, to the extent necessary.
4. Maintain specific exchanges on innovative approaches and European Union-Cuba cooperation actions, which can contribute to economic diversification and updating as an element to enhance the development of Cuba.
(Cubaminrex)
