EU foreign policy chief in Cuba to boost bilateral ties

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini arrived on Monday in Cuba for an official two-day visit aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation.

Mogherin, also vice president of the European Commission, is expected to meet with Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez, the archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega, and representatives of civil society, said an earlier press release from her office.

This will be the first visit to Cuba by the EU's top diplomat as the two sides are engaging with each other to normalize ties.

"Cuba is facing a very interesting period and the EU wants to see how we can promote relations. The EU has followed closely the events in Cuba and its relations with key members of the international community, creating new dynamics in the region and the island itself, and providing opportunities for all," Mogherini said a week ago when announcing her visit.

On March 6, the European bloc and Cuba ended a third round of negotiations towards reaching a bilateral Agreement on Political Dialogue and Cooperation that covers policy and trade matters, with some "progress".

"The negotiations took place with the constructive spirit and mutual respect that has characterized this process since its inception in April 2014," the Cuban Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

Both sides agreed to meet again this summer in Brussels to continue negotiations, though no exact date was set.

The two sides began talks to normalize ties in April of last year, following Cuban leader Raul Castro's program to modernize the economy and introduce limited free-market reforms.

Ties between Cuba and the European bloc were drastically reduced when the 28-member EU adopted the so-called "common position" in 1996, which basically aligned Europe's policy towards Cuba with Washington's, restricting trade and diplomacy due to an alleged lack of democracy and respect for human rights in the communist-ruled island.

Washington announced in December that it, too, planned to normalize ties with Cuba, after half a century of "failed" policy of trying to isolate the island nation.

"When a wall begins to fall it is good news for Europe," Mogherini told international media several days ago, referring to the U.S. decision. "We do not compete, but we can accompany, encourage and support the ongoing process while maintaining and developing, in a parallel way, the European presence, in the areas of economy, politics and cooperation."

EU Foreign Affairs ministers are set to review ties with Latin America in April, especially the negotiations for a bilateral agreement with Cuba.

Despite the EU's common position on Cuba, individual European countries, such as Italy, have continued to trade with Cuba, making the bloc Cuba's second-largest trading partner, after Venezuela, with 2.6 billion euros in trade in 2013, according to official figures from European statistics office Eurostat. Enditem