• Submitted by: Juana
• Politics and Government
• 05 / 27 / 2015

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The European Union and Cuba agreed to accelerate the pace of negotiations to improve bilateral relations, hoping to achieve the basics for an agreement before the end of 2015, Federica Mogherini, head of EU foreign policy, said on Tuesday.
The EU and Cuba started negotiations in April last year to rewrite a bilateral political agreement, as part of a deepening of ties since the 28-nations bloc lifted diplomatic sanctions against Cuba in 2008.
But they have only managed to hold three meetings in 11 months , which led Europeans to suggest a faster pace, which was accepted by the Cubans, Mogherini told reporters in Havana after meeting Cuban President Raul Castro and other senior officials.
The official described the pace of progress as "slow", but said it is gaining "political impulse".
"Today we decided to accelerate the pace of negotiations, hoping to finalize the framework of our dialogue and an agreement by the end of this year," Mogherini told reporters.

source: www.cibercuba.com