First Polish foreign minister to visit Cuba in 30 years

HAVANA, June 6th  “The Latin American and Caribbean region is an important partner in Poland’s quest to find a balance between a focus on Europe and global engagement,” said Waszczykowski during a meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.

“Poland has consistently supported Cuba in overcoming barriers to economic and social development stemming from the US embargo by voting for a resolution calling for its abolition at the annual session of the UN General Assembly,” Waszczykowski said on Tuesday, the second day of his visit to Cuba.

In 2015, then-US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced the normalisation of US-Cuba relations following decades of a trade and financial embargo against the country.

The visit this week by Poland’s Waszczykowski is part of a drive by the European Union to strengthen relations with Cuba following the signing of the EU-Cuba Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement on 12 December 2016.

The talks between the foreign ministers focused on the new geopolitical situation following the election of Donald Trump to the White House, the election’s implications for Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the prospects for developing Polish-Cuban cooperation, particularly in economic, tourist, cultural and academic terms.
http://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/310445,Minister-Waszczykowski-first-Polish-FM-to-visit-Cuba-in-30-years