Castro Widens EU-Cuba Diplomatic Rift

The temperature of the simmering diplomatic row between the European Union and Cuba increased on Saturday when President Fidel Castro called the European Union the "Trojan horse" of the United States and denounced Europe’s financial aid in his speech to mark the 50th anniversary of the revolution that brought him to power.

Speaking to a crowd of 10,000 outside the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba, where the 1953 uprising began, Castro said: "Cuba does not need the help of the European Union to survive." He went on to dismiss the EU as an agent of the United States and called the Union a “group of old colonial powers historically responsible for slave trafficking, looting and even the extermination of entire peoples.”

Arrogant and calculating

The Cuban leader, the world's longest-serving head of government, used the speech, broadcast live on state-run television and radio, to mock Europe's political leaders, saying they were unable to deal independently with his country without taking American policies into consideration. Castro criticized what he called Europe's "arrogant and calculating attitude, in hope of reconciliation with the masters of the world" – again referring to the U.S.

Castro’s remarks have added more tension to a spat that has soured relations and placed the EU in Cuba’s bad books alongside the United States.

Until recently, the relationship between Europe and Cuba had been amicable, with the 15-member Union, Cuba’s largest trade and investment partner, seen as an economic lifeline for the ailing communist state. Earlier this year, the EU even opened an office in Havana specifically to administer the €14.3 million ($16.4 million) it provides the island in annual aid.

Deteriorating relations

However, relations deteriorated rapidly in early June when the EU raised the prospect of sanctions over Cuba's mass imprisonment of dissidents and its human rights record this year. Further denouncements came after the execution in April of three Cuban men who attempted to hijack a ferry and force it to the United States. Hundreds of people try to reach the U.S. by sea every year, some risking their lives in home-made vessels.

In a statement on Sunday, the EU's executive arm said it regretted Castro's remarks but intended to continue offering its support in the absence of an official Cuban request not to do so. The European Commission added that it wished to "stress its commitment to continue supporting the Cuban people and in particular those most in need."

Cuba has gone from being the third-richest country in Latin America to one of the poorest. Its economy now relies heavily on funds sent from Cubans abroad and on tourism, much of which stems from the EU. Despite the economic woes of Castro’s government, Cuba has the highest life expectancy in Latin America and one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. It also has one of the highest literacy rates, with just over 95 percent of the population being able to read.