Cuba agrees to start EU talks on mutual ties

After a decade of differences, Cuba has finally agreed to start negotiations on normalizing ties with the European Union (EU).

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told a news conference in Havana on Thursday that Cuba had informed EU officials of its decision to start negotiations on a Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, proposed by Brussels earlier last month.

On February 10, EU foreign ministers voted to launch political talks with Havana that could eventually open the way to broader trade and economic ties with the Latin American country. The move is considered as the most significant diplomatic shift since the 28-member bloc lifted sanctions on Cuba in 2008.

“Cuba welcomes this proposal of February 10 from the High Representative, which means an end to the unilateral policies of the European Union on Cuba, and we accept negotiations on it,” Rodriguez said.

The Cuban Foreign Minister added that Havana is completely willing to discuss any topic, including human rights, on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

The EU office in Havana said Cuba’s response has been received “with great satisfaction” and that negotiations would begin shortly after.

The EU officially suspended relations with Cuba in 2003 over the jailing of dozens of Cuban dissidents.

Tensions between Cuba and the European bloc date back to 1996, when with the Cold War over, the EU agreed on a set of rules governing its relations with Cuba, called the Common Position.

It boasts that the EU’s objective is “to encourage a process of transition to a pluralist democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as sustainable recovery and improvement in the living standards of the Cuban people.”

Cuba, however, rejected the so-called Common Position, arguing that it constitutes interference in its internal affairs.