To promote a nonviolent transition to a Cuba that respects human rights, political and economic freedoms, and the rule of law.
EU's High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell's Potemkin village visit to Cuba. Cuban military training in Belarus and 'contract soldiers' fighting for Russia in Ukraine.
The official visit of the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell to Cuba from May 25 to May 27, 2023 was a Potemkin village affair divorced from reality.
Mr Borrell on May 26th highlighted that the "EU is the first trade, investment and cooperation partner in Cuba. During my visit I have had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the more than 700 European companies in the country. The EU-Cuba agreement is key to accompanying the process of economic modernization." This prioritizing of economic engagement over human rights began in 2016, and seven years later, despite the large European presence, and debts forgiven, Cuba remains an economic basket case backing Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Nor did he mention that in December 2015 it was announced that Spain would forgive $1.7 billion that Havana owed it, passing off the cost to Spanish taxpayers. The 2015 debt restructuring accord between Cuba and the Paris Club, according to Reuters, "forgave $8.5 billion of $11.1 billion, representing debt Cuba defaulted on in 1986, plus charges." The bulk of that forgiven debt was paid off by European taxpayers.
Nor did it change Cuba's affinity for backing policies hostile to European interests. Although Mr. Borrell reiterated the European Union's "clear position on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine - a threat to global stability and security" and that Cuba during its G77 presidency has a special role and responsibility in the multilateral arena, in defense of the United Nations charter", the actions of Havana make a mockery of his appeal.
One week prior to his arrival in Cuba, a high ranking Belarusian military official,Valery Revenka tweeted on May 18, 2023 that Cuban military personnel will carry out military training in Belarus with photographs of him meeting with his Cuban counterpart.
On May 24, 2023 Havana voted against the World Health Organization resolution condemning Russian attacks on Ukrainian health systems. It was one of nine "No" votes against the Europe backed resolution.
Also on May 24th, the eve of Borrell's arrival it was revealed in Russian media that "14 contract soldiers left Ryazan for Russian military units, including several citizens of the Republic of Cuba." Since Moscow's new attack on Ukraine in February 2022 the Castro regime has been engaged in a diplomatic and propaganda campaign supporting the Russian invasion. It has now escalated to Cuban soldiers fighting with their Russian allies.
Engagement with dictatorships for the sake of interaction, without prioritizing democratic and human rights principles, can devolve into complicity. This was not the first time an EU official has favored the dictatorship in Havana over the interests of the Cuban people and of the European Union.
The EU Ambassador to Cuba, Alberto Navarro was accused by 16 European Members of Parliament of siding with the Castro ‘regime that neither respects nor defends human rights' when he co-signed an open letter that asked Biden to “personally take executive action” to lift business and travel restrictions on Cuba. The letter also urged the U.S. to “stop being a hostile neighbor” to Cuba and to “stop interfering in our domestic affairs.” It repeats talking points of the Cuban dictatorship that are divorced from the reality that it is the regime in Havana that is responsible for the internal blockade placed on Cubans by communist central planning.
Politico's Hans von der Burchard in his February 25, 2021 article "MEPs urge EU to fire ambassador to Cuba" reported a "cross-party group of 16 MEPs, including senior lawmakers" urged "EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to sack the bloc’s ambassador to Cuba for allegedly siding with the country’s Communist leadership." Although Borrell said "mistakes were made, but we need to evaluate them on their own terms", he allowed Ambassador Navarro to complete his four year term that ended on August 30, 2021. Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa from Portugal became the new chief of the EU Delegation in Europe on September 1, 2021.
Mr. Borrell repeated the same argument as Ambassador Navarro during the current visit, but did not go as far as giving orders to President Biden.
“We cannot ignore that we have differences on various issues […], but the European Union has neither the capacity nor the will to impose changes on Cuba, but we do want to have a framework of dialogue that allows us to talk about everything that unites us and differentiates us without taboos or prohibitions,” said the head of European diplomacy, clearly betting on the “constructive” and at the same time “critical” commitment to Cuba, as opposed to Washington’s policy of pressure. He even mentioned the speech given in Havana by former U.S. President Barack Obama during his historic visit to the island in 2016 and quoted his words: “The embargo hurts the Cuban people and does not help produce the political changes that are intended.” “Obama said it and I think so too,” Borrell said, recalling that the EU votes as a bloc every year at the UN against the embargo policy.
Nor was it the first time for EU's High Representative for Foreign Policy, in Moscow on February 5, 2021 in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Borrell responded to the Russians whataboutism on Cuba by echoing the Russian position against the United States embargo that drew criticism from his partners in Europe. One year later, Russia invaded Ukraine and Vladimir Putin threatened nuclear war against the European Union and the United States for supporting Ukraine.
During his visit to Cuba Borrell also criticized the inclusion of Cuba in the list of countries sponsoring terrorism by the prior Administration, something that, he said, “is causing serious and unfair problems to the development of economic activities on the island.”
Cuba is linked to terrorism around the world, and this includes Borrell's home country. The first ETA cadres were trained in Cuba. In 1964, members of the Basque terrorist group received training in Cuba on kidnappings, subversion and sabotage. From Cuba it has operated as a sanctuary for the terrorist gang responsible for more than 850 murders in Spain. In 2000, During the X Ibero-American Summit in Panama, Fidel Castro was reluctant to support a resolution condemning ETA.
To engage in an effective dialogue one must deal with reality, not wishful thinking. Removing Cuba from the list of terror sponsors in 2015 did not alter Havana's behavior. The Castro regime continued to sponsor and harbor terrorists, but Obama Administration concessions to the regime, and downplaying its outlaw status was not limited to terrorism. The Obama Administration also politicized the Trafficking in Persons report in 2015, drawing the criticism of experts in the field, to downplay Havana's dismal record in the trafficking of human beings. Evidence exists of high level officials involved in trafficking.
Mr. Borrell and Mr. Obama are doubly wrong. They were wrong to not respond more strongly when Putin first invaded Ukraine in 2014. Appeasement encourages more impunity, not less. They are also wrong when they claim that "embargo hurts the Cuban people". On Mr. Obama's watch when sanctions were repeatedly loosened, the regime legitimized by his state visit, the human rights situation in the country worsened, the economy became more militarized, Cubans suffered more at the hands of the dictatorship, and U.S. diplomats began to suffer brain damage. The Biden Administration loosened sanctions on Havana in May 2022, and conducted a law enforcement dialogue with a lawless regime while repression has worsened in Cuba on his watch with over 1,000 + new political prisoners, and a mass exodus of over 350,000 Cubans have entered the United States. The regime has used this exodus to infiltrate Castro regime henchmen into America.
During his visit to the island Mr. Borrell announced that "the European Union will send a special human rights envoy to Cuba this year to discuss the aftermath of anti-government protests in July 2021, but the EU's top diplomat said it will not 'impose' demands on the Communist-run Caribbean nation." This will not help Cubans on the island, and will only encourage the dictatorship to act with greater impunity against the Cuban people.
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