Spanish King Calls for More Diversity and Plurality in Cuba

HAVANA TIMES – Spain’s King Felipe VI has called on the Cuban government to open up to the “diverse and plural” nature of society and pledged support for such change, reported dpa news.

Institutions need to “represent the entire diverse and plural reality that exists among citizens” who need to be able to “express their preferences themselves,” Felipe said at a reception Spain offered to Cuban leaders late Wednesday in Havana.

He is the first Spanish monarch to make an official state visit to the island.

Felipe said Spain wanted to “accompany” Cuba in allowing citizens to express themselves “on the basis of respect.”

“[The] changes in a country cannot be imposed, they must be born out of internal dynamics,” he added.

The Spanish king’s moderate tone contrasted with that of the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has imposed new sanctions in an attempt to force change towards more democracy in Cuba.

Spain is Spanish-speaking Cuba’s third-largest trading partner, behind strategic political partners China and Venezuela.