Statement by the Cuban FM on the 3rd CELAC-EU Summit

Statement of public denunciation by the Cuban Foreign Minister on the preparations for the 3rd CELAC-EU Summit

HAVANA, Cuba, Jul 10 (ACN) The 3rd Summit of Heads of State and Government EU-CELAC will be held in Brussels, Belgium, on July 17 and 18.

The leaders of both regions will meet again after eight years of not doing so, in a very complicated international context.

The reality is that, beyond speeches and declarations, no progress has been made in bi-regional ties and, in the last period, they have even regressed.

The Summit may be an opportunity to begin to change this scenario. But there are reasons for concern.

The lack of transparency and the manipulative behavior of the European Union (EU) in the preparation of the Summit seriously jeopardize the success of the meeting.

They are trying to impose restrictive, divisive formats that make direct and transparent discussions impossible, and are trying to hide the content of the debates from the press and public opinion.

Forums parallel to the Summit are organized unilaterally. The European side even decides on its own who will be the representatives of our region in these events.

Such behavior, besides being disrespectful, creates the conditions for these Forums to become scenarios for attacks and singling out CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) member countries.

The behavior 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.

Those who try to impose a biased and Europeanist vision on the bi-regional relationship, pretending to ignore the priorities and interests of our region, will have no chance of success in Brussels.

Time is short, but it is not too late to avoid failure.

The Summit can and should be a space for serious, participatory and pluralistic dialogue that identifies solutions to collectively face, despite our differences, the multiple global challenges that affect us.

We aspire to a Summit that allows us to expand inclusive and mutually advantageous cooperation in high-priority areas, such as financing for development, climate change, food security, and renewable energies, among others.

We aspire to a meeting that reaffirms the 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".

Cuba will go to the Brussels 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, both regions and the world.