The federal coordinator of Spain''s Izquierda Unida (IU), Cayo Lara, today demanded that the European Union (EU) to lift the restrictions imposed on relations with Cuba through the so-called common position.
Lara told Prensa Latina that his organization highly values the beginning of a process of dialogue on the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States and also demands an end to the blockade imposed on the island since 1959.
In that context, he noted that the EU needs to abandon its policy of support for US policies that have prevented Cuba from developing all its potentialities.
Cuba has been deeply hurt by the US blockade and the beginning of a thawing process in Cuba-US relations is totally positive.
In his opinion, if it had not been blockaded, Cuba would be a different now, richer, and had been able to develop all its potentialities, much more than what it has achieved under the difficult conditions to which it has been subjected.
Lara pointed out that despite those restrictions and the special period from 1990 to 1993, when European socialism collapsed and Cuba lost all trading partners, the island has developed public health and education that are better than in other countries.
We can imagine what Cuba would have achieved without the blockade, Lara noted.
We expect that situation will end finally. We think it must be advancing and we highly value the beginning of talks to reestablish relations between Cuba and the United States, he underlined.