Spain supports Cuba with 57.5 million euros in cooperation

As part of the visit of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to Cuba, both governments signed a Country Partnership Framework Agreement this Tuesday in Havana. This agreement formalizes exchanges and collaboration in various areas for the next four years, and includes a fund amounting to €4 million.

Following the formal reception for the monarchs, hosted by Miguel Díaz-Canel and his wife, the leaders held a meeting with their respective committees, led by Josep Borrell, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, and his Caribbean counterpart, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.

In front of both heads of state, the two foreign ministers signed the collaboration agreement, a ceremony that took place in the stained-glass hall known as the "Sun of America," located in the Palace of the Revolution, headquarters of the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba.

Sources from both foreign ministries have explained that this contribution will remain in effect until 2022 and includes support from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the autonomous communities, NGOs, and initiatives for collaboration and cultural exchange between the two countries.

España # y #Cuba ???? sign a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) in Havana. This agreement updates the strategy of the @CooperacionESP in Cuba 2019-2022. It is part of the international agenda of #growth, of which both countries are part? https://t.co/cdtflBoQcN pic.twitter.com/QWd7ddo46Q

— AECID (@AECID_es) November 12, 2019

In fact, this is not a completely new agreement, but rather a renewal of the one that was in force between 2014 and 2017, at the initiative of former Popular Party President Mariano Rajoy. The Aecid (National Agency for the Coordination of the Interior) explained that it is a legal framework that "follows the guidelines established by the new Cuban political context and adapts to the objectives established in the country's National Economic and Social Development Plan."

In this sense, it is composed of three essential guidelines for development: sustainable territorial development, increased productivity, and strengthening efficient public administration.

While Spain has taken the reestablishment and normalization of its relations with Cuba very seriously, the ratification of the agreement can be seen as a diplomatic victory for the island at a time of particular tensions stemming from the strengthening of the United States embargo on Cuba.

While many consider the days of the so-called common European position on the island to be over, for others, the visit of the Spanish monarchs is the greatest proof of the full normalization of bilateral relations, after they hit rock bottom under the government of former President José María Aznar.

Spain is currently Cuba's third-largest trading partner, after Venezuela and China. However, it is the main foreign investor in areas such as tourism, the island's main economic driver. Currently, after three decades of uninterrupted collaboration, there are some 24 exchange projects covering areas as diverse as the conservation and preservation of cultural heritage, institutional strengthening, and other large-scale projects in education and water resources.

Before departing for Santiago de Cuba, where the monarchs are scheduled to conclude their visit, Felipe will speak this Wednesday from the former Palace of the Captains-General, in what is considered the most anticipated moment of his visit. Some groups expect him to address the human rights situation on the island, while many descendants of Spaniards would like to receive positive signals regarding a possible renewal of the Grandchildren Law.