Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 237: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will develop further the relationship between Ireland and Cuba; and if he will welcome the political dialogue between Spain and Cuba that has been re-established. [21504/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Cuba in 1999, Ireland has been accredited to Cuba through our Embassy in Mexico City. Ambassador Dermot Brangan most recently travelled to Cuba last month for meetings with a wide range of interlocutors. In 2001, Cuba established a resident Embassy in Dublin, which has been headed by a resident Ambassador since October 2005. The Cuban Ambassador has been very active in seeking to promote links between our two countries based, inter alia, on people-to-people contact and cultural activities.

My Department and our Embassy in Mexico City also support the development of such links. In July 2005, the International Joyce exhibition, commissioned by my Department, was opened for display at the National Library in Havana. And of course, an increasing number of Irish people have visited Cuba in recent years. I welcome these developments and I would certainly wish to see the bilateral relationship between Ireland and Cuba develop further.

As the Deputy will be aware, the European Union's 1996 Common Position on Cuba remains the basis of both the European Union's and Ireland's approach to relations with that country. The Common Position was most recently reviewed at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 18 June 2007 and will be discussed again at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in June. The overriding objective of Ireland and our European Union partners in our relations with Cuba is to encourage, but not to enforce by any external coercion, a process of transition to pluralist democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In the past year, Spain has engaged Cuba in a Human Rights Dialogue. Spain has pursued this bilateral dialogue in accordance with the European Union's Common Position on Cuba.

In addition to pursuing its dialogue with Cuba's civil society, the Council also emphasised the Union's willingness to resume a comprehensive and open political dialogue with the Cuban authorities in all areas of mutual interest. In order to sound out the potential for such a dialogue, which should take place on a reciprocal and non-discriminatory basis, the Council decided to invite a Cuban delegation to Brussels. To date, the Cuban authorities have not taken up this offer. However, we remain hopeful that such a dialogue will be established in the future. In this regard, I welcome the fact that a Ministerial-level meeting between the European Union Troika and Cuba was held en marge of the 62nd United Nations General Assembly in New York on 24 September 2007.

Finally, the EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Assistance, Louis Michel, visited Havana from 7 to 9 March 2008 following an invitation by the Cuban Minister for Foreign Affairs, Felipe Pérez Roque. Discussions were held on a range of issues, including human rights and the question of dialogue between Cuba and the European Union.