Russian Foreign Minister meets with the Cuban Five

This gesture is not only the protocol of the Russian-Cuban friendship, but also demonstrates the exponential relationship between Moscow and the US, where Cuban intelligence officers have been imprisoned for a long time.

History

Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino, Rene Gonzalez, Fernando Gonzalez, and Antonio Guerrero, were in Florida, US, in the second half of the 90's. Their mission was to infiltrate extremist groups of Cuban migrants seeking information about imminent terrorist attacks against Cuba and Cuban politicians.

On September 12th, 1998, five Cubans were arrested by the FBI, followed by the longest trial in US history, where there was a huge number of procedural violations and non-compliance with criminal law, US constitutional law, and international norms. According to "Amnesty International”, the materials of the case, including the latest report, questioned the fairness of the entire process. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the UN Human Rights Council pointed out in the report that "the court did not display impartiality and objectivity towards the situation in order to meet the standards of a fair trial, as required by Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."

Rene Gonzalez was released ahead of the first, as it was the shortest sentence (15 years), but in December 2014, as part of the resumption of US-Cuban diplomatic relations, the other members of the Five were released.

Relations with Moscow

Earlier, Antonio Guerrero visited Moscow and met with public figures and politicians. The current visit was timed with the Day of Victory, but the Five are also planning to meet with representatives of civil society groups and the media in Russia.

Beyond public diplomacy, the visit can signal major decisions being made related to bilateral relations in the context of the current international situation.

Geopolitics of Cuba

Cuba has an important geo-strategic importance, as it is located in the heart of the Caribbean. In the 60’s, the placement of Soviet nuclear missiles on the island caused a serious crisis in relations between the US and the USSR. Part of Cuba's Guantanamo province continues to be illegally occupied by US, where a naval base and prison for detainees suspected of terrorism is stationed.

Recently, negotiations on the resumption of the electronic intelligence center in Lourdes, where there was a Soviet (and later Russian) military base, are now in process between Cuba and Russia.

The US is afraid of the military presence of any major competitive power near its borders, be it Cuba or Venezuela, as in the event of a possible conflict with the US, the South will be under the threat of a blockade, which will significantly hit American trade and economy.

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Russian Foreign Minister meets with the Cuban Five