Above: Havana

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Cuba’s government “will consider” a new European Union proposal to sign a cooperation agreement with the Caribbean country, the government announced Monday.

“Cuba will consider the invitation put forth by the European side, in a way that is respectful, constructive and attached to its sovereignty and national interests,” Deputy Foreign Minister Rogelio Sierra said in a statement.

The European Union announced Monday that it would seek to sign a new cooperation agreement with Cuba.

Earlier Monday, the EU’s Ambassador in Cuba, Herman Portocarrero, delivered a letter to Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez reporting on the EU’s proposal.

“We are confident that mutual respect and the determination to find common ground will prevail,
the Ambassador said Monday.

Portocarrero said the EU had seen that Cuba had a “very important role” in regional cooperation, and that its role in regional integration in the future would be “very strong.”

The EU resumed its cooperation with Cuba in 2008.