Cuba and Russia Agree to Work against Unilateral Coercive Measures

Cuba and Russia will coordinate efforts to jointly confront unilateral sanctions with extraterritorial character, said Bruno Rodriguez, minister of Foreign Affairs, at the conclusion of a meeting with his Russian counterpart Serguei Lavrov.

Minister Rodriguez said that based on the conversations held by both foreign ministries, Havana and Moscow are coordinating efforts in the face of what he called an epidemic of extraterritorial coercive measures that generate a threat to international peace and security.

Cuba reports billions of dollars in economic losses and human damages due to the impact of the trade, economic and financial blockade imposed by US 60 years ago, while Russia is subject to sanctions by Washington and the European Union.

He added that the meeting also addressed actions to better coordinate and work more actively in cooperation to promote economic, trade, investment and tourism programs, as well as increase coordination in international organizations.

He pointed out that relations between the two countries are currently in good shape and are developing dynamically, and that next year they will have important moments such as the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War and the 60th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Lavrov stressed that in 2019 the head of government Dmitry Medvedev and the president of the parliament will visit Cuba and several activities will take place regarding the 500th anniversary of Havana, in whose restoration works there has been an important Russian cooperation.

On the economic front, we are talking about the political promotion of trade and the economy, sectors in which we maintain an intense dialogue under the axes of the Intergovernmental Commission, whose president for Cuba, Ricardo Cabrisas, vice-president of the Council of Ministers, is currently in Moscow, added Lavrov.

We emphasize the firmness and resistance of the Cuban people and reaffirm that Russia’s support to Cuba is not only political or military cooperation, but also focuses on the promotion of commercial and economic projects that would make the economy more sustainable against external attacks.

Rodríguez and Lavrov met last May in a meeting in which they discussed similar issues, in addition to actions to follow up on the agreements signed by Presidents Miguel Díaz-Canel and Vladimir Putin in November 2018.

Tourism, rail transport, telecommunications and energy are key sectors in the commercial exchange between both countries, which also have a high coincidence in the vision towards the different issues of the international agenda, the defense of peace and the role of international institutions.

Lavrov arrived in Cuba this Tuesday night as part of a tour that will also take him to Brazil and Suriname.