WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th May, 2019) Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland will visit Havana on Thursday for talks with her Cuban counterpart on the crisis in Venezuela and the US decision to allow lawsuits over conficated properties in Cuba, Global Affairs Canada said in a press release on Wednesday.
"Minister Freeland will meet with her Cuban counterpart Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to discuss the deteriorating situation in Venezuela and the US decision to end the suspension of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act," the release said.
On April 17, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally announced that the Trump administration would lift a ban on lawsuits against companies and individuals using properties confiscated from American citizens in Cuba after the country's 1959 revolution.
Freeland on April 17 responded to the US move with a statement saying that Ottowa was "deeply disappointed" with Washington's decision and would defend Canadian businesses operating in Cuba.
Venezuela has been plunged into severe unrest since January, after US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself interim president of the country. The US and other countries back Guaido's declaration, while Russia and China recognize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as the only legitimate leader to the country.
Canada has also recognized Guaido as interim president and has backed his efforts to oust Maduro from power.
Tensions in Venezuela reached a new peak in late April after the Venezuelan opposition initiated a fresh bid to launch a coup aimed at ousting Maduro, though the attempt failed.
Every US president since 1996 has suspended a portion of the LIBERTAD Act in the hope that doing so would put pressure on the Cuban government to transition to democracy.
The Trump administration's decision to reverse the policy and allow lawsuits against Cuban entities came at time as the United States steps up pressure on Cuba over its support for Maduro.
