EU Parliament, Strasbourg, P9
CRE-PROV(2021)09-16(4-061-0000).
Frau President.
Many thanks, Herr Geuking, for your fulminating speech. I
also had noted the expressions of Herr Pineda who nevertheless in fact said there
was no political repression in Cuba. That is amusing, though rather more in the
area of a facetious statement [Scherzerklärung].
Other things which we have just heard here were also
astonishing. Frau Metz of the Greens finds the channels of communication should
be kept open, which nevertheless most likely means: To still speak, but merely
do not act.
Herr López of the socialists explains that already at the
conclusion of the trade and cooperation agreement, the situation in Cuba was as
miserable and foul as it is today. One probably can only allow oneself this cynicism
if one is socialist. And then we just heard from the switched-on Spanish
colleagues that now the achievements of the revolution are in play. Which
achievements those are, I know not. Probably the bitterest poverty, a failure
of a healthcare system and a circumstance in which many would most prefer to
leave behind the achievements of the revolution and want to leave the country.
Yesterday in this space Ursula von der Leyen held her State
of the Union speech and thereby, as so frequently, cited the European values.
What then are these European values if we do not live them with regard to Cuba?
They are always directly recited by the leftists against Poland and Hungary. Yet
when it is about the terror regimes in Cuba or in Venezuela, then one distances
oneself from the European values, and indeed distances oneself from them right
quick. To that extent, you should really ponder whether you here continue to
live this contradiction or whether not in the case of Cuba you finally for once
live the values – the European values – which they otherwise always represent. Those
values are political freedom, freedom of opinion, democracy. And here one
should at sometime or other begin with Cuba.
[trans: tem]
