Like the UN, the European Union has a long history of dumb decisions, especially when it comes to Cuba. By inviting Cuba’s communist dictatorship to the CELAC summit in Brussels, it is continuing that doltish tradition.
Andres Oppenheimer explains in an Op-Ed for McClatchy:
E.U. will shoot itself in the foot if it gives an honorable welcome to Cuba’s dictator
The 27-country European Union is about to do something really stupid: Give a red-carpet welcome to Cuba’s dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel, even though Cuba is a massive human-rights violator and one of the world’s the most enthusiastic supporters of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Diaz-Canel has been invited, along with all Latin American and Caribbean heads of state, to attend the July 17-18 summit of the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brussels, Belgium. The Cuban dictator tweeted on July 13 that he will attend the meeting.
Unlike President Biden’s Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles last year, the E.U. leadership has decided to invite all Latin American presidents, including the dictators of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. While it’s unclear whether those from Venezuela and Nicaragua will attend, these invitations fly in the face of the E.U.’s stated commitment to defend democracy and human rights across the world.
The timing for Diaz-Canel’s invitation couldn’t be worse. Cubans just marked the second anniversary of the historic July 11, 2021, largely peaceful anti-government demonstrations, which resulted in more than 1,500 arrests.
Two years later, more than 700 of those arrested for exercising their right to free expression remain in jail, which makes Cuba the country with the most political prisoners in the Americas, international human rights groups say. Some of those detained during the 2021protests have been sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.
By inviting Diaz-Canel to the summit, the E.U. will not only help legitimize Cuba’s dictator, but will also give an international podium to one of Russia’s closest allies in the world.
Cuba’s propaganda machine, including its state-run media and the regional Telesur television network, is probably the largest broadcaster of Russia’s disinformation in Latin America. It almost daily tries to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, mirroring Russia’s state media.
Amazingly, the E.U.’s decision to invite the Cuban dictator is in open contradiction with the recommendations of the European Parliament.
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Do not confuse being unprincipled and hypocritical with being stupid. Stupidity is not the EU’s problem.