CUBAN EMBASSY INFORMALLY PROTESTS MCCARRY VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUDAPEST 000667 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR/NCE MICHELLE LABONTE, WHA/FO CALEB MCCARRY E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2022 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM HU SUBJECT: CUBAN EMBASSY INFORMALLY PROTESTS MCCARRY VISIT Classified By: A/DCM Michael Hurley. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) According to MFA U.S. Desk officer Andras Bacsi-Nagy, a Cuban Embassy official approached an MFA official at a reception on 26 April to protest Hungary's policies on Cuba as well as MFA meetings with Cuban Transition Coordinator Caleb McCarry. In a meeting with poloff on 27 April, Bacsi-Nagy said that a Cuban Embassy official protested the May 7 McCarry visit to Budapest by saying McCarry's position is "illegitimate because Cuba is a democratic nation." The unnamed Cuban official also "handed out copies" of news articles quoting Defense Minister Szekeres' support of Hungary hosting a Cuba democratization conference in Budapest. Bacsi-Nagy noted that given the sensitivity of the issue and the recent arrival of Hungary's new Ambassador to Cuba, the MFA "would have preferred" that Szekeres not comment publicly about Cuba. ¶2. (C) Mr. Bacsi-Nagy was quick to point out that his information regarding the reception and conversations between the GOH official and Cuban Embassy official "were second-hand and not very detailed." He also did not know the source of information to the Cuban Embasssy regarding Mr. McCarry's upcoming visit. Nonetheless he thought it important enough to offer his unsolicited comments during a regularly scheduled meeting on an unrelated topic. FOLEY