Dmitry Chernyshenko and Vice President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz
Dmitry Chernyshenko and Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Economy and Planning of the Republic of Cuba chaired 22nd meeting of the Russia-Cuba intergovernmental commission
Dmitry Chernyshenko at the 22nd meeting of the Russia-Cuba intergovernmental commission
Vice President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz at the 22nd meeting of the Russia-Cuba intergovernmental commission
Dmitry Chernyshenko and Vice President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz
Cuba’s capital Havana hosted the 22nd meeting of the Intergovernmental Russian-Cuban Commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation co-chaired by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Vice President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz.
The parties discussed key areas of bilateral efforts including in energy, industry, tourism, agriculture, technology, education, culture and sport as well as implementation of promising investment projects. Following the meeting, the parties signed 13 documents, including the final act and cooperation agreements.
Dmitry Chernyshenko thanked Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz for a warm welcome the Russian delegation was offered in Havana and stressed that Russia was expecting Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to attend the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War in May 2025. The Cuban president earlier accepted the invitation by President of Russia Vladimir Putin.
“I would like to note with great satisfaction that the intergovernmental commission holds its meetings in a regular pattern. This allows us to effectively advance key issues on the bilateral agenda. We highly appreciate the trust-based and constructive political dialogue at all levels, including the top level. We are set to further enhance Russian-Cuban relations in a wide range of areas: industrial cooperation, trade and humanitarian cooperation, exchange of experience and transfer of Russian technological solutions, and joint scientific research,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.
The Deputy Prime Minister spoke about the support provided to Cuba, including a programme of emergency measures to minimise the impact of the energy crisis that the island encountered at the end of last year.
In addition, according to Dmitry Chernyshenko, an integral part of bilateral cooperation is education. Last year, Russian and Cuban universities signed over 60 agreements. Since 2023, eight open educational centres for the study of the Russian language have been operating on the island. In 2024, Russian universities launched two geology classes in Cuban universities, as well as a centre for targeted training of energy and electronics specialists. A branch of the Southern Federal University in Havana will be launched as part of the current visit of the Russian delegation.
Work on expanding the portfolio of bilateral investment initiatives is to be continued, their total number currently exceeds 100. The deputy prime minister also noted the resumption of supplies of Russian cars to Cuba. In 2024, over 180 units of machine-building production were exported to the island.
A project to process Russian wheat at a Cuban flour mill is ongoing for the second year in a row as part of agro-industrial cooperation. The possibility of Russian business participation in the modernisation of Cuba’s sugar industry is being considered.
The tourism industry is continuing to grow. In 2024, Russian tourist traffic to Cuba remained at the level of the record year of 2023 and totalled 160,000. At the same time, the number of Cuban citizens who visited Russia last year increased by more than 50 percent.
“To address the challenges we are now facing, it is imperative to have the support of reliable partners and allies, such as the Russian Federation. The current meeting of the intergovernmental commission is a suitable platform for studying the proposals that are on the table. I believe that the meetings will produce concrete results that will contribute to strengthening relations between our countries, Ricardo Cabrisas said.
Attending the meeting on the Russian side were also representatives of the Ministries of Energy, Agriculture, Economic Development, Transport, Healthcare, Digital Development, Education, Culture, and other agencies.
