Lisbon: The Government of Portugal rejected the reinforcement of unilateral economic sanctions by the United States against Cuba, through the complete application of the extraterritorial Helms-Burton Act, the Island's embassy in this country reported today, Prensa Latina reports.

In a press release, the legation of the Antillean nation in Lisbon alluded to a statement by the Portuguese Foreign Ministry, in which it deplores the decision of the Donald Trump administration to activate Title III of the controversial legislation, starting next 2 of May.

Approved in 1996, this regulation codifies the economic, financial and commercial blockade that Washington has maintained against Havana for almost six decades, a siege overwhelmingly condemned by the international community.

Its section III, suspended until now, establishes mechanisms for US citizens to sue companies that supposedly benefited from nationalized properties after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.

'Portugal regrets the US decision to authorize the filing of legal actions in its territory under Title III of the Helms Burton Law against certain foreign companies operating in Cuba”, the statement underscored.

According to the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the effects of that resolution will have a direct impact on the interests of the European allies of the White House.

"This decision reinforces the commercial tension between the European Union (EU) and the United States, which the Joint Declaration of July 2018 sought to mitigate," the Portuguese executive recalled in his message, posted on the social network Twitter.

"We will continue working, especially in the context of the EU, to challenge the effects of this decision and minimize the impact it may have on European operators," he added.

For their part, the MEPs of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) denounced the activation of Title III, as well as the economic, financial and commercial blockade, highlighted the mission of the largest of the Antilles in this country.

After expressing solidarity with the Cuban people, the PCP's representatives before the European Parliament affirmed that they will continue to face the campaigns, intimidation and attempts to interfere in the Caribbean country.

They questioned the European Commission - executive of the EU - on the measures it intends to adopt to deepen the dialogue and cooperation with Cuba and to counteract the prolonged US economic siege on the island, which they described as criminal.

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