Cuba Signals Willingness to Negotiate Confiscated Properties with Exiled Nationals

On Friday, the Cuban government delivered its clearest indication yet that it is open to discussing a resolution regarding properties nationalized after the 1959 revolution, which includes those owned by Cubans who fled the country.

This statement was exclusively shared with The National by Carlos Méndez, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment.

"We are prepared to pursue an agreement, a resolution that is satisfactory for all parties, taking into account both the foreign companies that were nationalized in Cuba and also seeking arrangements that could be acceptable to Cubans who emigrated," Méndez stated.

The official extended a direct invitation to the Cuban diaspora, emphasizing that Cuba welcomes the contribution of Cubans living abroad "in various business models, sectors, and activities."

Message to the United States

Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, also known as "El Cangrejo," addressed the United States directly in the interview, asserting, "Cuba poses no threat to the interests or national security of the United States. In this regard, we continue to offer a civilized relationship, one based on mutual respect and equality."

Discussing the new economic model, Méndez clarified the scope of the changes: "We are not privatizing the economy; what we are doing is allowing greater participation of the private sector in nearly all sectors of the economy."

Inspired by International Models

President Miguel Díaz-Canel has acknowledged that the plan is inspired by the models of China and Vietnam, focusing on market reform without altering the one-party system.

This statement comes amid the presentation of a package of 176 economic reform measures to the National Assembly on June 18 and 19, considered the most significant attempt at structural reform since the Special Period. This includes explicit provisions for Cubans abroad to purchase shares in state-owned enterprises.

Ahmed Faisal, a business consultant working with Cuban officials on economic opening, clarified the real extent of the offer: "If they have the necessary capital to make it operational, they are willing to return full ownership."

According to Faisal, those lacking sufficient funds to restore their former properties would need external investors to take an equity stake, aiming to inject much-needed capital into a collapsing economy.

Challenges and Limitations

Experts consulted agree that this opening is insufficient to meet Washington's demands.

Mario Braga, a geopolitical analyst for RANE Network, warned that property restitution would be just a starting point: "I believe it may be a prerequisite, but we would also need to consider, among other things, that Cuba expels or removes Russian and Chinese intelligence officers operating on the island."

Arturo López-Levy, a Cuban researcher at Georgia College, was more blunt in stating that the regime is not politically in a position to offer full restitution, given that most of these properties have been destroyed, occupied by families, or converted into hotels and workplaces.

Professor Helen Yaffe from the University of Glasgow highlighted the human dimension of the issue: "Their mansions have been converted into homes, apartments, schools, offices, research centers. Imagine if [the Cuban government] said, 'Okay, yes, you can come back for your property.' What would happen to thousands of Cuban families who have made their homes or workplaces there?"

Yaffe also noted that the Helms-Burton Act of 1996 makes any partial concession legally insufficient, as it conditions lifting the embargo on a democratic transition and a capitalist market economy.

The political backdrop further complicates any agreement. The U.S. Foreign Claims Settlement Commission has certified 5,913 claims by American citizens and companies for confiscated properties, with an estimated value exceeding $9 billion including interest, and it is estimated that Cuban-Americans could file as many as 200,000 additional claims under Title III of Helms-Burton.

López-Levy was straightforward about the true intentions of the hardline sector of the Cuban-American exile community: "They don't just want some kind of agreement or a national reconciliation that addresses the properties. Now they are eager to regain power in Havana," noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio — a Cuban-American — will not change his stance in response to partial concessions.