Cuba’s Foreign Minister Condemns EU’s Lack of Transparency Ahead of CELAC–EU Summit
Orinoco Tribune, July 11, 2023 —
The European side aims to hide content of the debates and organize parallel forums to the event.
On Monday, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez condemned the lack of transparency and the manipulative conduct of the European Union (EU) in the preparation of the third CELAC–EU Summit.
“I denounce the lack of transparency and the manipulative conduct of the European Union in the preparation of the III #CelacUE Summit, which seriously jeopardize the success of the meeting. There is little time left, but it is not too late to avoid failure,” wrote Rodríguez on social media.
In a video, Rodríguez points out that the leaders of both regions will meet in a very complicated international context after eight years without doing so. Beyond speeches and declarations, the reality is that no progress has been made in biregional ties; if anything, the opposite has occurred in recent years.
Rodríguez said that the EU has attempted to impose restrictive and divisive formats on the summit that would make direct and transparent discussions impossible.
The EU has insisted that it intends to hide the content of the debates from the press and public while unilaterally organizing parallel forums.
Rodríguez explained that the European side wants to decide on its own who will represent the Latin American and Caribbean region in these events, a procedure that, in addition to being disrespectful, creates the conditions for these forums to become a means to attack CELAC member countries.
Rodríguez said that the conduct of the European Union jeopardizes the possibility of reaching final agreements at the summit.
“Our region has changed, CELAC is the solid and united voice of Latin America and the Caribbean and must be respected,” said Rodríguez. “There will be no chance of success in Brussels for those who try to impose a biased and Europeanist vision on the biregional relationship, pretending to ignore the priorities and interests of our region.”
In a second tweet, he published “Cuba will go to the summit with a constructive spirit and will contribute as much as possible to strengthen, on the basis of equality and mutual respect, the dialogue and cooperation between CELAC and the European Union, for the benefit of our peoples, from both regions and from the world”.
In the video, the Cuban foreign minister pointed out that the summit can and should be a space for serious, participatory, and inclusive dialogue to identify solutions to help collectively face, despite the differences between the two parties, the many global challenges.
The minister expressed his hope that the meeting would allow for the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation in high-priority areas such as financing for development, combating climate change, food security, and renewable energy, among others.
Finally, he stated that he hopes for an event at which strict respect for the Charter of the United Nations, international law, and the postulates of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace are demonstrated.