Havana, April 20 (RHC)-- The government of Portugal has rejected the new wave of U.S. unilateral sanctions against Cuba and their extraterritorial nature.

The Cuban embassy in Lisbon issued a press release with highlights of an official statement by the Portuguese Foreign Ministry, in which it categorically rejects the full implementation on May 2nd of Title III of the Helms-Burton Law, as announced by the current U.S. administration.

“Portugal regrets the U.S. decision to authorize the filing of claims in U.S. courts against companies from third nations operating in Cuba, under Title III of the Helms-Burton Law,” reads the statement issued by the Portuguese foreign affairs ministry.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that the new unilateral measures will negatively impact the interests of Washington’s European allies.

“The measure increases the already tense commercial relations between the European Union and the United States, something which the Joint U.S.-EU Statement of July 2018 sought to de-escalate,” the Portuguese government said in the statement published on its tweeter account.

It concluded: “We will continue working within the EU context to fight back against the U.S. decision and minimize its eventual negative impact on European companies.”