Relationship dossier
Cuba
Spain
Relationship assessment
Longstanding ties and economic cooperation coexist with disagreements over political freedoms and human rights.
Cuba toward Spain
+30The Cuban government has maintained bilateral dialogue and economic cooperation with Spain, including through intergovernmental contacts and arrangements supporting commercial and cultural ties.
Spain toward Cuba
+35The Spanish government has promoted engagement with Cuba and opposed the US embargo, including through high-level dialogue. Spain has also raised concerns about political freedoms and human rights.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship is grounded in longstanding bilateral ties, economic links, and recurring political dialogue. Spain’s support for engagement and opposition to the US embargo are important cooperative features, while disagreements over Cuba’s political system and human rights remain persistent sources of friction.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Cuba and Spain maintain longstanding government ties, with cooperation in economic and cultural affairs and recurring high-level dialogue. Spain has promoted engagement with Cuba and opposed the US embargo, while also raising concerns about political freedoms and human rights. These cooperative ties coexist with political disagreements.
Areas of tension
- Spanish concerns about political freedoms and human rights in Cuba.
- Disagreements over Cuba’s political system and the pace of political change.
Key developments
Spain and Cuba held high-level bilateral dialogue, including a visit to Cuba by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the first by a Spanish prime minister in 32 years.
Spain and Cuba established a debt-restructuring arrangement connected to Cuba’s outstanding obligations to Spain.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral economic and cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The extent of recent government-to-government cooperation is uncertain.