Mikhail Mishustin's meeting with Prime Minister of Cuba Manuel Marrero Cruz
Excerpts from the transcript:
Mikhail Mishustin: Welcome, Mr Prime Minister. Welcome to the Government House of the Russian Federation.
We have recently talked in Sochi. I would like to say that your first visit to Russia is going well. During the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, we had an in-depth discussion of the bilateral agenda, among other things. Under Russia’s chairmanship, the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council met on 7-9 June. And you took part as an EAEU observer country.
I would also like to thank you for your participation in the plenary session of the Third Eurasian Congress.
Today we will continue discussing topical issues of our bilateral relations and Russian-Cuban trade and economic cooperation.
I would like to stress once again that we regard the further strengthening of friendship and partnership with Cuba as an unconditional priority. Our cooperation has been tested by time and repeatedly proved its resistance to external challenges.
In conjunction with our Cuban partners, we are taking effective measures to protect bilateral cooperation from the influence of illegitimate economic sanctions imposed by unfriendly states.
We are creating a payment system and transferring mutual trade to national currencies, the Russian rouble and the Cuban peso.
You and I also discussed the readiness of the government that you lead to provide favourable conditions for Russian businesses in Cuba. I’m sure this will help bring in more investment, launch mutually beneficial projects and expand bilateral trade. The intergovernmental commission, which, on our part, is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko is in charge of the practical work in these areas.
There are significant prospects, in particular, for joint research in biomedicine and biopharmaceuticals. In Sochi, you had the chance to get acquainted with Russian scientific developments at Sirius University biomedical laboratories. There are a number of areas for cooperation in agriculture as well.
We focus particularly on cultural and humanitarian interaction. The opening of a virtual branch of the Russian Museum in Havana is a very important joint project. We plan to give our Cuban friends the latest equipment and dozens of museum’s publications.
In December, Cuba will host a festival of Russian cinema as part of the International New Latin American Film Festival. I’m sure Cuban cinema goers will like Russian films.
Mr Prime Minister, we have a large and substantive agenda. The floor is yours.
Manuel Marrero Cruz (via interpreter): Thank you very much. I’m very pleased to attend such an important and serious gathering with both working teams.
First of all, I would like to thank you for the hospitality. I have visited your country several times, but this is my first visit as prime minister which is a special visit.
I would also like to thank you for the way you chaired the meeting in Sochi. You led that meeting, I would say, in a mainstream manner. You managed to build a team of prime ministers from different countries who attended that meeting. It was beautiful. I really liked the atmosphere.
I was the last to join this group. And I also called for unity. I spoke about the need for unity not only during the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, but during bilateral meetings as well.
I must say that I am proud to be among the EAEU countries. I think my personal participation in this event benefitted the meeting. I will be happy if one day we manage to create such an industrial park with the participation of these countries in Cuba.
We hope that sometime later we will be able to hold such a council, the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, in our country, as well. Then, all of you will have the opportunity to learn more about Cuba.
Trade and economic relations between Cuba and Russia can serve as an example for promoting trade and economic ties with other countries of the union.
Cuba hosted an entrepreneurial forum. Following the forum, things began to move very quickly to make the procedures underlying our interaction more efficient. I can see how serious and responsible both sides are approaching these issues.
I thank you very much for giving me a special treatment during this visit. I think that a strong friendship has developed between us. This friendship between governments is a clear step towards realising the plans of our respective presidents who met in Moscow in November.
At the Sochi meeting, we spoke about your possible visit to Cuba. You will be able to see with your own eyes the way a number of projects are already being implemented in Cuba, and you will see how much progress we have made on many issues. There will be a chance to establish personal oversight over the implementation of the existing agreements. I’m sure that everything we are doing today on a short- and medium-term basis will provide us with the desired outcome.
