Third Meeting In Two Months- EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Borrell Again Does Not Discuss Cuba With U.S. Secretary Of State Blinken. Confirms Cuba Not Important To EU-U.S. Relations.
/United States Department of State
Washington DC
4 May 2021
Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell
”Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell on the margins of the G7 Meeting in London. Secretary Blinken reiterated the U.S. commitment to revitalize and raise the level of ambition in U.S.-EU relations, and he and High Representative Borrell discussed the U.S.-EU Summit to be held in June. The Secretary and High Representative also discussed ways to deepen U.S.-EU cooperation on shared foreign policy priorities, including Russia, Iran, China, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa.”
European Union
Brussels, Belgium
4 May 2021
United States: High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell meets with Secretary of State Antony Blinken
”On 4 May, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, met with the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Antony Blinken, in London, in the margins of the G7 Ministerial. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss on a bilateral basis some of the most urgent foreign and security challenges ahead, which were also the subject of discussion among G7 Foreign Ministers in their two-day meeting. High Representative/Vice-President Borrell and Secretary Blinken addressed the latest developments in the ongoing discussions on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the Iran nuclear deal – in view of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA. They also discussed relations with Russia in light of Russia’s recent military build-up in illegally-annexed Crimea and on the border with Ukraine, the health of Alexei Navalny, and Russia’s actions against EU Member States and sanctions against EU citizens. High Representative Borrell and Secretary Blinken also discussed the situation in Afghanistan in light of recent US policy decisions, as well as relations with China. The High Representative also raised concern over the increasing instability in Colombia and the need to move forward on the implementation of the peace agreement. The upcoming EU-US Summit in Brussels in June will provide further momentum in the EU-US relationship."
EC/EU Interaction With Secretary Of State Blinken
15 February 2021- European Parliament Member Wrote Mr. Borrell About Cuba
24 March 2021- Secretary Of State Blinken Visits Brussels- Cuba Not Discussed
29 March 2021- Mr. Borrell Writes To EP Member He Would “Address” Cuba With Biden Administration
15 April 2021- One Year Since EU-Based Libertad Act Lawsuit Defendant Asked EC For Guidance
15 April 2021- Secretary Of State Blinken Visits Brussels- Cuba Not Discussed
4 May 2021- Secretary Of State Blinken Visits London, Meets With Mr. Borrell- Cuba Not Discussed
15 June 2021- President Biden Visit To Brussels For U.S.-EU Summit
On 29 March 2021, HRVP Borrell responded to an inquiry from Mr. Javier Moreno Sanchez, a member of the Strasbourg, France-based EP who is a member of the “Group of Friendship and Solidarity with the People of Cuba.” The response from HRVP Borrell was inaccurately publicized as an agreement by Mr. Borrell to “mediate” rather than “address” the issue with the United States:
Dear Members of the European Parliament, Thank you for your letter of 15 February on the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism by the previous US administration. As I have stated to Foreign Minister Rodriguez at the EU-Cuba Joint Council on 20 January, the EU rejects this designation. The decision taken by the previous US administration has no factual basis, given the positive role Cuba has played in the peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional, ELN). The ELN members were in Cuba as part of the now aborted peace negotiations with the Colombian government, having travelled there at the request of the Colombian government for the negotiation process, which has had the full support of the EU. As I have indicated in my statement referred to above (1), this designation adds to the hardship caused to the Cuban people by the US embargo. In our contacts with the new US administration, we will address this issue and call on the US to lift this designation. Yours faithfully, Josep Borrell Fontelles
