Berlin to warm up chilly ties to Havana

Will German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier be able to open a new chapter in the history of relations between Havana and Berlin? Even after more than 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, there still seems to be a hint of the Cold War hanging over the relationship.

For the longest time, while Germany was divided and the Iron Curtain stood strong, the former East Germany was Havana's most important partner in Europe, not West Germany.

"It is high time that we leave that phase of history behind us. I would have liked to have seen it happen much earlier," Social Democrat Klaus Barthel, chairman of the German-South American parliamentary friendship group, told DW.

The SPD parliamentarian has been championing the normalization of relations for years. "I think it was a mistake that we forfeited relations with Cuba to the GDR back then." Barthel said. "That weighs heavy on us now."

Germany has to "build normal relations with Cuba, and not run around pointing fingers," he added.

Culture as bridge

There is indeed a lot of catching up to do in terms of political, economical and cultural exchange between Havana and Berlin. Official developmental cooperation has been frozen since 2003, and bilateral agreements do not exist. German businesses also have no chambers of commerce representing their interests in Cuba.

Not yet at least. According to information provided by the Foreign Ministry, Steinmeier's trip to Havana will initiate a change of course. The minister will "intensify talks on the installation of a German economic office, and the visit is also intended as a start to negotiations on a bilateral cultural accord," according to a spokesperson from the Foreign Ministry.

In many ways, it is also a quest to make up for lost time. In March, EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini was in Cuba for talks with leaders. In mid-April, members of the German parliamentary Committee for Economic Cooperation and Development touched down on the island. Then in May, French President Francois Hollande made a courtesy call to the Castro brothers.

A missed opportunity

"Europe must endeavor to play a larger role in Latin America," Barthel said, adding that the economic reforms that have been taking place in Cuba since 2012 have garnered too little attention in Germany and Europe. "The USA was quicker to act, while many here in Europe missed the opportunity."

According to Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero, Havana is putting all its chips on the free market system.

"When the US embargo is lifted we will finally be able to honestly compete with other Caribbean islands and show our strengths," Marrero told DW.

Cubans will finally be able to welcome American tourists as well. Some 3 million tourists visit Cuba each year, most of them coming from Europe. A gold rush mentality dominates the tourism industry at the moment. The Spanish hotel chain Melia has just opened a new 400-room hotel in Havana.

Other than tourism, however, Cuba's economic ties to Germany and the rest of Europe remain modest. According to the Foreign Ministry, Germany exported 191 million euros ($208 million) worth of goods to Cuba in 2014, while importing a mere 33 million euros worth of Cuban goods during the same period.

The taboo topic of human rights

In comparison, the sum of all Cuban imports in 2013 was valued at $13 billion. According to the UN trade organization UNTAD, China exported some $1.3 billion worth of goods to Cuba, while Brazil's exports to the island totaled $528 million.

But it's Venezuela that remain Cuba's most important trading partner despite the fact that volume has suffered recently due to the South American country's ongoing economic crisis. In 2012, Caracas delivered goods to the tune of $6 billion to Havana, mostly in the form of oil.

Foreign Minister Steinmeier is banking on lessons learned from German reunification in this new rapprochement with Cuba.

"Even if we have different ideas about democracy, we sense an opening in Cuba," Steinmeier said. "And we Germans, with our history of transformation, feel we have much to offer."

Human rights organizations have implored Steinmeier to address those different ideas of democracy.

"Cuba's diplomatic thaw has in no way resulted in a loosening of media control or censorship," Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.

The press freedom group said Steinmeier should use rapprochement with Cuba to draw attention to the situation of imprisoned journalists and bloggers.

Activists hope Steinmeier won't be the only foreigner in Cuba addressing human rights. Two days after he leaves, the US embassy is scheduled to open in Havana after a 54-year break and many hope the renewed American presence in Cuba will not tiptoe around human rights issues when it reopens on July 20.