Brussels, 02/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - The fifth round of negotiations for a cooperation agreement between the EU and Cuba will be held in Havana on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 September.
“We hope to make more progress towards finalising chapters on cooperation, and on economic and trade issues”, a senior official said on Wednesday 2 September. The official nevertheless said that nothing was concluded until everything was agreed. And the negotiation of the political chapter is more complicated. “An important area we must discuss is that of the dialogue on some key political issues - including fundamental rights and human rights. This is not a surprise. We have always known that this would be a difficult issue”, this European source stated, adding that human rights would be one of the subjects of next week's negotiations.
According to the senior official, this new round of discussions will not be the last. “No one expects that”. And although High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini had hoped, when she visited Cuba in March, that the negotiations might be concluded at the end of 2015, they could continue into 2016. “Is it technically possible to conclude the negotiations in 2015? Absolutely. Is it logistically possible? I don't know”, the source stated, saying that “it was difficult” because the Cuban negotiator, also the deputy foreign minister, Aberlardo Moreno, was “very busy”. The senior official hoped that the next negotiations might take place before the end of the year.
The official reiterated that the aim of the negotiations was to reach a framework agreement which might provide a platform for engaging in EU-Cuba relations more actively - be this as regards the political dialogue, cooperation in different areas, or deepening contacts at various levels. “It is not an agreement which sets out a specific agenda of actions”, the official stated. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)