Cuba seeks stronger EU-CELAC relations, condemns EU’s ‘manipulative behavior’

Cuba will look to expand cooperation at an upcoming summit of European Union, Latin American and Caribbean leaders next week, its foreign minister
said, but accused the EU of “manipulative behavior” that could hamper leaders’ ambitions.
Heads of state from the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) are set to meet in Brussels on July 17-18, the first summit after an eight-year hiatus, where they are expected to discuss climate change, development financing and the humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
“We hope the summit will allow us to expand inclusive and mutually advantageous cooperation in areas of high priority,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in a statement Monday, pointing to food security and renewable power.
However, Rodriguez added the EU’s “lack of transparency and manipulative behavior in preparing for the summit puts its success in serious risk.”