On Wednesday, Cuba's National Assembly said it "strongly condemns" a European Parliament resolution criticizing the country's human rights record and calling for EU penalties against Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and other key officials.

According to Cuba's parliament, "The European Parliament lacks the moral, political and legal authority to judge Cuba," adding that "this could cast doubt on the EU's objectives of seeking to re-launch its relations with Latin America and the Caribbean."

Next week, EU leaders will meet with heads of state from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brussels for their first bi-regional summit in eight years.

The climate crisis, development finance, and Haiti's security problems are among the topics they are likely to debate. On Monday, Cuba stated its desire for improved relations while accusing the EU of manipulative tactics.

Read more: How the US is still punishing Cuba 6 decades on

The European Parliament resolution suggests that "autocratic regimes should not participate in such summits" and sharply condemns Cuba's alleged human rights violations, claiming that this might jeopardize a 2016 cooperation agreement between Cuba and the EU, its major trading partner.

The resolution also urges the "immediate and unconditional release of unjustly detained prisoners," as some Cubans are still jailed after the July 2021 riots. The Cuban government maintains that those incarcerated committed various crimes ranging from assault to vandalism and sedition.

Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, visited Cuba in May and criticized the US for its 60-year economic ban, saying the EU has "neither the capacity nor the will to impose changes in Cuba."

The European Parliament resolution "deeply deplores" this remark and the resolution was labeled "highly interfering" by Cuba's National Assembly.

Borrell stated in May that the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, will visit the island in November to assess the impact of the 2021 demonstrations.