Princes Charles becomes the first British royal to visit Cuba

HAVANA: Prince Charles and his wife Camilla landed in Havana on Sunday (March 24) for the first communist-led British Royal Family trip to Cuba, even as the main British ally, the United States , seeks to isolate the island nation.

Shortly after arriving on a Royal Air Force plane, the heir to the British throne laid a wreath of flowers in front of the Independence Hero's memorial, Jose Marti, on Revolution Square. in Havana, dominated by huge portraits of guerrilla fighters, including Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

During his three-day historic visit, which is part of a larger tour in the Caribbean, the 70-year-old Prince of Wales will be dining with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, visiting the Colonial District Restored Havana, visit community and green energy projects and review a parade of British vintage cars.

The royal visit, which is part of a wider normalization of relations between the West and Cuba, comes three years after that of former US President Barack Obama, then announced. as the beginning of a new chapter of links between the former enemies of the cold war.

Since Donald Trump became president of the United States, however, the United States has returned to its long-standing strategy of pressuring Cuba to change, including tightening its crippling trade embargo on the island.

The Trump administration has intensified its pressure on the Venezuelan crisis, Cuba's socialist ally.

"It is always good that Cuba is strengthening its relations with important international players, which is all the more true when the United States has a president who meets the interests of the far right who want to badly in Cuba, "said Arian Rubio, a resident of Havana. , 26, historian.

William LeoGrande, a professor of government at the American University, said such visits from high-level delegations of major powers "confer legitimacy on the Cuban government and constitute an implicit warning to the United States that hostile actions against Cuba could entail a diplomatic cost with important allies. " "

The British government had asked the royal couple to add Cuba to its tour of the ancient and current British territories in the Caribbean, in the hope of strengthening trade and cultural ties and political influence.

British trade with Cuba amounted to less than US $ 100 million last year, while only a few well-known British companies invested through subsidiaries such as Imperial Brands Plc. British-American Tobacco Plc and Unilever.

Opportunities for doing business, however, should increase as the largest island in the Caribbean continues to open its beleaguered, state-dominated economy. These include the opportunities offered by the expanding tourism sector, which already attracts some 200,000 British tourists each year.

In addition, Britain seeks to increase trade with alternative partners since the referendum on leaving the European Union three years ago.

The plans of senior officials to accompany the Prince of Wales have been canceled by the political drama that is being played in London on the best way to leave the EU before March 29.

We underline the thaw of relations between the United Kingdom and the United States when Diaz-Canel receives Charles at the Palace of the Presidential Revolution Monday evening. This will be their second meeting in a year.

The 58-year-old Cuban president visited the prince last November in London for his first visit to several countries since replacing Raul Castro last April.