Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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172. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will take further action towards ending the embargo on Cuba by the United States of America; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15071/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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As I noted in my statement of 18 December, I warmly welcome the historic decision by President Obama and by President Castro on the restoration of full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. The recent meeting between the Presidents at the Summit of the Americas has been described as positive, and the White House has since announced President Obama’s intention to remove Cuba from the US list of States that sponsor terrorism. Ireland's concerns about the US economic, commercial and financial measures against Cuba are long-standing and clear. Ireland and the other member states of the European Union are firmly of the view that the lifting of the embargo would facilitate an opening of the island's economy to the benefit of its people. In addition, we and our EU partners do not believe that the continued embargo contributes in a positive way to the democratic transition in Cuba. We have expressed this position in our support for the relevant resolutions at the UN General Assembly, most recently on 28 October last year. We have recorded also our strong opposition to the extraterritorial application of the legislation giving effect to the embargo. The US embargo against Cuba is codified in legislation passed by Congress. President Obama has indicated his willingness to engage with Congress in an honest and serious debate about lifting the embargo, which we welcome.

The recent UN debate recorded continued concerns and criticisms regarding governance and human rights in Cuba. It was noted that while the US embargo has a damaging effect on the Cuban economy, domestic Cuban economic policy seriously hampers its own economic development. Together with our EU partners we have urged that the package of economic and social reforms adopted by the Cuban Parliament in August 2011 be extended and implemented in a manner that will address the key concerns of the Cuban population.