Havana, Cuba.- The President of the National Assembly of People’s Power (parliament) of Cuba, Esteban Lazo, on Thursday received members of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) of the European Parliament.

Led by its president, Iratxe Garcia, the official delegation is also made up of the Vice President Kati Piri; Co-chair of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat), Javi López, among others.

The meeting, which was held in the Havana Capitol, headquarters of the Cuban parliament, was also attended by the Cuban Parliament Vice President, Ana María Mari Machado, and by representatives of the International Relations Commission.

As part of the S&D´s official agenda, MEPs visited the Solidaridad con Panamá School on Thursday, and meetings will be held with government and civil society representatives through Saturday.

In statements made before their arrival to Cuba, García stated these meetings will be the perfect setting for the parties to address the implementation of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between Cuba and the European Union (EU), and will also analyze the consequences of the tightening of the economic, commercial and financial U.S. blockade against Cuba and its negative impact on European companies.

Iratxe García said that ‘at a time when conservative and nationalist forces are trying to weaken the multilateral international order, it is more important than ever to strengthen mutual cooperation and defend our progressive agenda of multilateralism.’