MIAMI, United States – The Cuban Resistance Assembly (ARC) He asked this Monday in the Senate of Spain the cancellation of the economic subsidy that the European Union (EU) grants to the Havana regime. During the meeting, which was attended by various political leaders, the representatives of the ARC stressed that these funds only contribute to maintaining repression on the Island.
“We are in Spain raising our voices for a free Cuba and to demand the end of the European Community’s subsidy to the Castro dictatorship,” declared the secretary general of the ARC, Orlando Gutierrez-Boronatduring his speech. The request was supported by other leaders present at the meeting, including Julián Obligio, president of the Union of Latin American Parties (UPLA), who stated: “The 31 parties of UPLA are completely aligned in defense of the Cuban cause and we will continue working until we achieve a democratic transition.”
In his speech, the former Cuban political prisoner Jorge Luis Garcia Antunez He harshly criticized the financial support that the Cuban regime receives from Europe. “It is inconceivable that with more than 1,000 political prisoners in Cuba (…) Europe continues to finance the dictatorship and repression on the island,” he stressed.
On the other hand, according to the report of DNA CubaGelet Martínez Fragela, founder of the same media outlet, was categorical when referring to the effects of this financial aid. “Every euro that the Cuban regime receives from the European community is an open letter to continue the repression in Cuba and an economic incentive for the Castro elite not to abandon power,” she said.
He added that Havana acts as a “satellite of Russia and Iran,” and that its influence is aimed at “undermining Western democracies,” as seen by its support for the regime of Nicolas Maduroin Venezuela, and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Spanish Senator Juan José Matarí, who also participated in the meeting, He assured on his Instagram profile that Spain maintains a “commitment to active and effective solidarity to advance a transition from dictatorship to democracy in Cuba.”
Since 2023, the ARC has held several meetings with European leaders to request a review of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) between the European Union and Cuba.