European Ministers Condemn US Blockade of Cuba

The European foreign ministers repeated their strong rejection of the US blockade of Cuba, diplomatic sources said here on Thursday.

According to a communiqué, the ministers ratified the regional bloc's stance on the extraterritorial enforcement of unilateral coercive measures that violate international law.

Their stance was expressed at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, held in Luxembourg and chaired by the head of European diplomacy, Federica Mogherini.

The document pointed out that the Council has noted the exemption until May 1 of the enforcement of Title III of the Helms Burton Act of 1996 by the Government of the United States against companies from the European Union (EU).

The EU and its member States have repeatedly condemned the economic, commercial and financial blockade, which they have described as a measure that hinders Cuba's economic development, violates the rules of international trade and financial transactions and whose extraterritorial scope affects the interest of individuals and legal entities from the region in their relations with Cuba.

The communiqué recalled that in November 2018, delegations from the EU and Cuba talked about coercive measures in the framework of the Agreement on Political Dialogue and Cooperation between the two parties.

At the meeting, 'issues related to the juridical and practical scopes of the existing legislation in the EU were reviewed to counter the extraterritorial enforcement of legislations by third countries and the use of unilateral coercive measures with an extraterritorial effect as a political means and for economic pressure against the States,' the press release added.

It recalled that the Cuban Foreign Ministry has condemned 'the threat of the activation of Title III of the Helms Burton Act', which is considered 'a hostile act of extreme arrogance and irresponsibility'.

The Ministry warned that the actions by US President Donald Trump increase contradictions between the two countries, reinforce the blockade imposed unilaterally for nearly 60 years and damage the interests of third nations.