In the midst of the EU-CELAC summit in Brussels, representatives of three European Parliament groups joined Rosa María Payá today to denounce the Cuban authorities’ support of Russia in the war of aggression against Ukraine, and the continuous violations of human rights that must lead to the suspension of the political cooperation agreement between the European Union and the regime.

MEP Antonio López-Istúriz (EPP Group), MEP José Ramón Bauzá (Renew Europe Group), and MEP Anna Fotyga (ECR Group) joined Rosa María Payá (Cuba Decide) and Erik Cartelle (Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba) in a joint press conference today.

The group addressed the important role that Cuba is playing by supporting Russia in the aggression against Ukraine. They highlighted another key takeaway of the recent resolution (RC-B9-0311/2023), approved by the European Parliament: the call for the European Union to trigger Article 85(3)(b) of the PDCA to request an immediate meeting of the joint committee holding the Cuban regime accountable for its violations of Universal Human Rights, which is an essential element of the agreement.

The press conference took place in the European Parliament at the same time as the EU-CELAC summit was taking place in the European Council. The presence of Miguel Díaz-Canel, whose name is mentioned in the aforementioned resolution as one of the individuals that should be sanctioned for his participation in crimes against humanity, was denounced by Rosa María Payá: “The presence of a Cuban dictator at this summit is an embarrassment for the European Union. The Cuban regime is the gateway for Russia and China to Latin America and a strategic ally in the invasion of Ukraine. Allowing the Cuban repressors to become brokers between the EU and CELAC is to place Europe at a disadvantage. We encourage the European Union to suspend the EU-Cuba agreement not only because of the innumerable atrocities that the regime continues to commit against its people, but also for the best interests of European citizens”.

Antonio López-Istúriz, from the EPP Group, stated “Today, three different European groups have gathered here, because despite the fact that we have significant and minor differences, we are all steadfast defenders of freedom and democracy. If the EU-CELAC summit doesn’t publish a resolution condemning the Human Rights situation in the region and the Russian aggression towards Ukraine, we can all consider this summit as a failure.”

José Ramón Bauzá, from the Renew Europe group, declared “The EU cannot remain passive in the face of the violation of the political dialogue agreement with Cuba. We demand that Article 85 be activated and that the dictatorship be held accountable. The Union’s policy towards the Island must be fundamentally revised, because the Cuban people must be free. Free from hunger, torture and oppression. They must be free of Díaz Canel. Oswaldo Payá’s legacy is strong, and we will work to see it accomplished”.

As a Pole, the entirety of my public life is linked to the Solidarity movement, the fight against the communist regime in Poland. Therefore, I am not surprised by the appalling information about political murders committed by the communist regime in Cuba, which unfortunately reminds me of cases from the past in Poland under communism, as in the case of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko and others. I am strongly convinced that the communist regime in Cuba has no future. Sooner or later, the necessary changes towards the democratisation of Cuba will take place

— added Anna Fotyga, ECR spokesperson for foreign affairs.

The conference took place a day after European Parliament President Roberta Metsola received Rosa Maria Payá who expressed gratitude for the last resolution and encouraged President Metsola to continue advocating for individual sanctions against those in power in Cuba

Source: ECR