Taking to her Twitter account Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ana Teresita González Fraga, noted that the meeting will be chaired by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and Rodríguez Parrilla.
According to González Fraga, this First encounter, “will provide an opportunity to advance relations between Cuba and the regional bloc,” following on from their Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement signed in 2017.
On May 14, the European Council (EC) announced that it was ready to host the encounter, during which cooperation programs in the fields of energy, agriculture and others will be reviewed in efforts to consolidate the joint bilateral framework, established on the bases of respect, equality and reciprocity.
A press release from the EC notes that favorable conditions and opportunities exist to expand economic, trade, investment and cooperation relations, as well as the EU’s active and effective participation in Cuba’s socio-economic development plans.
According to data from the EU representation office in Havana, from 2008 through 2017, the bloc – composed of 28 countries – has financed projects on the island valued at around 120 million Euros, across sectors such as food security, renewable energy, exchanges between experts, and disaster preparation and response.
(Granma)