Dmitry Chernyshenko meets with President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez
During his working visit to Cuba, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Chernyshenko met with President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez. The meeting took place as part of the Russian delegation’s official visit to Cuba following the 20th meeting of the Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.
Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez thanked Mr Chernyshenko for Russia’s comprehensive support and noted that a new round of productive cooperation is beginning in Russian-Cuban relations.
“There is no doubt that we are living through a unique period in our bilateral relations. This is consistent with President Vladimir Putin’s idea to bring trade and economic cooperation between our countries to the same high level as our political ties and diplomacy. It should be noted that at the Intergovernmental Commission meeting and the Russia-Cuba Business Forum, we saw many opportunities for expanding economic cooperation with Russia. We also welcome everything that you, Mr Chernyshenko, noted during your speech, and we thank the Russian Government for supporting Cuba against the economic blockade. The Republic of Cuba deeply appreciates all the gestures of humanitarian assistance that allowed us to survive the pandemic and the difficult food situation in recent years. For our part, we support Russia during the period of pressure from the West and condemn this aggression at all times and on all platforms. We also highlight the role of the Russian Federation in establishing a multipolar world and will fully assist in these efforts. In addition, Russia’s chairmanship of the Eurasian Economic Union creates opportunities for Cuba, as an observer state in the EAEU, to deepen economic cooperation,” the Cuban President said.
Dmitry Chernyshenko thanked the President of Cuba for the warm welcome for the Russian delegation, congratulated him on his re-election for a second term, and also invited Cuba to the 8th Eastern Economic Forum to be held in Vladivostok.
“In Russia, we highly appreciate your contribution to the development of Russian-Cuban relations. Russia also has great respect for Cuban history and Raul Castro, the great Cuban leader, and Russia’s reliable friend. The strategic partnership between Russia and Cuba is a foreign policy priority for Russia, something that has been repeatedly confirmed at high-level meetings. Against the background of global turbulence, our two countries continue to demonstrate a stable position based on the fair and equal partnership of all countries. In a difficult economic environment, Russia continues to provide the necessary support and humanitarian assistance to Cuba. We pay special attention to the development of commercial ties and bringing them up to the level of political dialogue between our countries. We will also continue our purposeful efforts to expand the range of both exports to Cuba and imports of Cuban products to Russia. On the sidelines of the intergovernmental commission, we signed an agreement on Russian investment projects in Cuba, a roadmap for introducing preferential measures and an updated programme of trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation for 2023-2030. This will determine our next joint steps to promote investment activities and trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Cuba. Several Russian companies are preparing new initiatives to enter Cuba’s domestic market with projects in promising areas of cooperation,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Dmitry Chernyshenko pointed out the significance of cooperating in industry and energy. This includes the construction of new generating units at the Máximo Gómez Thermal Power Plant and the East Havana Thermal Power Plant. Mr Chernyshenko also spoke about the expansion of air service between Russia and Cuba and steps to increase tourism volumes to the republic. In addition, focus is being given to working out the supply of Russian mineral fertiliser to Cuba. Russia’s chemical companies FosAgro, Kuibyshev Azot and Shchekinoazot have tentatively confirmed their interest in holding negotiations with the Cuban enterprise Quimimport.
Dmitry Chernyshenko and Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez also attended a presentation of the Games of the Future multisport tournament to be held in Kazan in 2024. The President of Cuba noted the unparalleled format and the scale of the event and accepted the invitation for Cuban teams to participate.
“We will offer comprehensive support to the Games of the Future. This tournament, based on a combination of traditional sports and cybersports is an excellent opportunity to showcase the achievements of the Russian Federation. We very much appreciate events of this scope, and we will definitely take part. The tournament will also be a serious response to the pressure being exerted on Russia,” the President concluded.
