MOSCOW, July 15. /TASS/. The protests that took place in Cuba last week pose a challenge for the country’s authorities, Chairman of the Board of the Valdai International Discussion Club’s Development and Support Foundation Andrei Bystritsky told TASS.

"Cuba’s protests are an important sign that all societies, including the Cuban one, are going through changes. This poses a great challenge both for the authorities and the entire society," he pointed out.

According to the expert, the protest movement is rooted in long-standing public controversy. "A lot of Cubans left their country and now live in the US. We can see new social elements emerging there because a new generation is growing up that has new demands and is more sensitive about their freedoms and their place in society, so naturally, a protest element is emerging," Bystritsky noted.

Chances are high that the protest movement will die out but similar sentiment will arise in the future. "Generations keep changing, it is a natural process so new leaders will emerge," he said.

Bystritsky stressed that it was hard to make long-term forecasts as to how the protest movement in the country will develop because external forces might interfere in the process.