European Union and Cuba sign agreement to normalize relations

HAVANA (Reuters) - The European Union and Cuba signed an agreement in Havana on Friday to normalize relations, paving the way for the 28-member bloc to establish full economic cooperation and aid with the Communist-run Caribbean island.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini witnessed the signing of the pact, which will replace a policy imposed by Europe 20 years ago that pushed for changes to Cuba's one-party political system.

"This is a historic day for bilateral relations," Mogherini said, shortly before EU negotiator Christian Leffler and Cuban deputy foreign minister Abelardo Moreno signed the deal.

The agreement marks another achievement for Cuba on the international stage after its 2014 detente with the United States and the renegotiation of its debt with creditors from the Paris Club of wealthy nations in December.

It comes just days before President Barack Obama's March 20 scheduled visit to Havana, the first by a U.S. president since Cuba's 1959 revolution.

Europe's unilateral "common position," in place since 1996, sought to make Cuba adopt a pluralistic democracy to unlock aid and commerce. Cuba has always rejected international pressure to change its political model and denies that human rights are lacking on the island.

The deal, which establishes an ongoing political dialogue and sets parameters for commerce and aid, must now be ratified by the governments of the EU bloc and Cuba.

The political dialogue and cooperation agreement took two years to negotiate. The European Union has similar agreements with all other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

(Reporting by Nelson Acosta and Marc Frank; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Bernadette Baum)