Estonia will propose that the European Union step up pressure on Cuba and review its current policies, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) on Tuesday.
Cuba has hit the headlines in Estonia after the independent technology foundation, the e-Governance Academy, issued a tender to procure equipment for Havana as part of an EU-funded digitization project.
“The Cuban regime has shown not the slightest willingness to change, which makes it clear that the European Union’s Cuba policy, in place since 2016, needs to be reviewed,” he said in a statement.
The minister said Estonia has already “stepped up its pressure” on Havana by changing its voting behaviour at the United Nations last year. It did not support a resolution calling for an end to the trade embargo on Cuba.
“Several other EU member states did the same for the first time,” Tsahkna said.
He added that Estonia has also consistently raised the call not to support Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
“The Cuban regime directly and openly supports the war narrative of the aggressor state Russia and has in recent years increased cooperation with both Russia and Belarus, including by concluding defence cooperation agreements with both,” the minister said.
Margus Tsahkna. Source: Egert Kamenik/MFA
UN Human Rights Council
As a newly elected member of the UN Human Rights Council, and the European Union more broadly, Estonia must not ignore the Cuban regime’s ongoing and worsening human rights violations, the statement said.
“The most striking examples include the imprisonment of participants in the peaceful protests of 2021 and restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly,” Tsahkna said.
“The EU’s current Cuba policy needs to be changed, and stronger pressure must be exerted on the Cuban regime. I intend to raise this issue at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels at the end of January.”
He also called for the e-Governance Academy to “review its activities.”
“It is not necessary to participate in all projects,” the minister said.
Cuba Digital
Hannes Astok. Source: Urmas Tooming/ERR
The e-Governance Agency is working with FIIAPP, the Spanish Government’s development cooperation organization, on the four-year “Cuba Digital” project, which is based on a 2016 agreement between the bloc and communist island nation to modernize public administration.
Estonia creates the services, while Spain is drawing up the legal framework for public and private information use with the aim of reducing existing inequalities.
“Our experts are advising on secure data exchange and interoperability solutions. The ultimate goal is to build citizen-centric, efficient and transparent information systems in Cuba, improving the lives of the people of Cuba,” Hannes Astok, eGA executive director, told ERR News in a written comment.
“Should the EU or Estonian government update their policies, eGA will adjust its approach accordingly,” he wrote, when asked if creating services for a non-democratic country such as Cuba is ethical.
The executive director listed successful digitalization projects in countries with patchy democratic records, stating: “From history, we know how technology can transform societies — even in challenging contexts.”
—
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!