Representatives of Cuba and the European Union (EU) began a two day meeting yesterday, September 9, at the Foreign Ministry in Havana, in an effort to advance in the development of a Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement.
The negotiating teams continue to work resolutely in hopes of concluding the process, said Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno, before opening the fifth round of talks between Cuba and the EU.
Abelardo is leading the Cuban delegation, while the EU team is headed by Christian Leffler, the European External Action Service’s executive director for the Americas.
Leffler, representing the EU’s 28 member nations, emphasized his confidence that accords would be established and contribute to the development of cooperation between the two parties.
The current negotiations began in April of 2014, as a result of a decision made in February that year by the European bloc’s Council of Foreign Ministers to invite Cuba to begin talks – to which Cuba responded positively on March 6, 2014.
Cuba has reiterated its willingness to advance in the negotiating process with the EU on the basis of equality and respect, as agreed upon in 2008, when political dialogue and cooperation were reinitiated.
The locations of previous rounds of meetings have alternated between the two sides of the Atlantic, with the first and third sessions taking place in Havana, while the second and fourth were held in Brussels.
