Press release

Foreign Secretary's call with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt spoke to the Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez, about UK-Cuba bilateral relationships and the Venezuelan crisis.

Following the call on 25 March, a Foreign Office spokesperson said:

The Foreign Secretary spoke to Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez on the first full day of the Royal visit to Cuba by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. The Foreign Secretary said this visit was a flagship moment in our longstanding policy of positive engagement with Cuba and is testament to how far our bilateral relationship has developed. He said he hoped this provides opportunities to increase our co-operation in areas of mutual interest that UK and Cuba already enjoy.

The Foreign Secretary also discussed the situation in Venezuela where so many people are suffering at the hands of the Maduro regime. He expressed the UK’s deep concern on Cuba’s support for Maduro and called on Cuba to play a more constructive role in resolving the Venezuelan crisis.

The call ended with the Foreign Secretary thanking Foreign Minister Rodríguez for hosting Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and looked forward to strengthening the relationship between the UK and Cuba. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, who has joined the Royal visit to Cuba, will continue discussions on our bilateral co-operation, human rights and Venezuela with senior representatives of the Cuban government.

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Published 25 March 2019