Press release on the upcoming visit by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla

On June 10-12, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cuba Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla will be on an official visit to Russia. On June 10-11, he will visit Nizhny Novgorod to take part in the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting, including in the BRICS Plus/Outreach format.

On June 12, Moscow will host talks between the foreign ministers of Russia and Cuba. The discussions are expected to cover various aspects of the bilateral strategic partnership, including political, trade, economic, scientific, technical, cultural, humanitarian, and other areas.

Cooperation with Cuba, a long-time friend and strategic partner of Russia in the Latin American region, is grounded in several key documents: the Declaration on the Principles of Relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Cuba dated May 22, 1996; the Memorandum on the Principles of Strategic Cooperation of January 30, 2009; and the Joint Statement on Shared Approaches to International Affairs by President Vladimir Putin and Chairman of the State Council and Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, issued on November 2, 2018.

Political dialogue is regularly maintained at the high and the highest levels. President Vladimir Putin and President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez of Cuba regularly speak on the telephone. In November 2022 and May 2024, talks were held during the Cuban leader’s visits to Russia. On June 14, 2023, President Putin received Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz in Moscow. Additionally, negotiations between Prime Minister Marrero Cruz and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin were held on June 7 in Sochi and June 13 in Moscow.

In recent months, Cuba has hosted visits from several high-ranking Russian officials. These included Prosecutor-General Igor Krasnov on April 15-17, Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev on February 26, and Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev on November 20-23, 2023.

On October 27-31, 2023, the Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Ricardo Cabrisas, who also serves as the co-chairman of the Intergovernmental Russian-Cuban Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation, visited Russia to participate in the commission co-chairs’ meeting. On March 15, the 21st meeting of the intergovernmental commission was held in Moscow. On February 15-17, Emilio Losada, head of the International Relations Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, visited Russia to participate in the inter-party forum against modern practices of neo-colonialism. Additionally, on April 18-25, Cuba’s Minister of the Interior, Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas, attended the 12th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues.

Meetings between foreign ministers are regularly held on the sidelines of UN General Assembly sessions, with the most recent one on September 21, 2023. The recent official visit of the Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla to Russia occurred in May 2019. Sergey Lavrov visited Havana again on February 19.

In line with the Protocol signed in 1993, Russian-Cuban political consultations on international, regional, and bilateral issues are regularly conducted between the foreign ministries of both countries. In September 2022, a new consultation plan for 2023-2027 was signed, with the option for extension for an additional five-year period.

Intensive efforts are being made to improve and upgrade the legal framework governing Russian-Cuban relations.

In addition to the key aspects of political interaction, the upcoming meeting will prioritise discussions on strengthening trade and economic relations. This includes increasing and diversifying trade turnover, supporting investment projects, and leveraging the comprehensive regulatory framework established recently to address these objectives. The meeting will also focus on continuing successful cooperation in key areas such as energy, metallurgy, transport infrastructure, peaceful space exploration, agriculture, and biopharmaceuticals. Specifically, flagship projects aimed at modernising the Antillana de Acero metallurgical plant and enhancing production and oil recovery capabilities at the Boca de Jaruco field are being successfully advanced.

One promising area of bilateral collaboration lies in tourism development. In 2023, Cuba welcomed a record number of Russian visitors for the post-pandemic period, reaching 185,000 travellers. This surge was notably supported by the Russian Mir card project covering the entire island, coupled with increased air connectivity facilitated by Russian airlines.

Cooperation in the education sector is progressing successfully. A grant support initiative titled 100 Scholarships helps Cuban students studying in Russia. Additionally, in March 2024, an agreement was inked between the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Cuba. This agreement focuses on cooperation in general, secondary vocational, and additional education, alongside organising recreational and health improvement activities for children.

Cultural and humanitarian exchanges are thriving. We were delighted to welcome Cuban delegations participating in the Games of the Future international multi-sport tournament in Kazan, as well as in the World Youth Festival in Sochi. We eagerly anticipate the presence of Cuban representatives at the expansive interethnic pop song competition Intervision, which will take place in November 2024 in Moscow.

The Russian Film Festival held in Havana in April (from April 3 to April 7) was a resounding success. At the request of the Cuban side, these events were timed to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry, which was marked on March 24.

Efforts are underway to promote the Russian language in Cuba. The University of Havana, with support from the Pushkin State Institute of Russian Language, has established a Russian language department, currently accommodating about 80 students. Additionally, the Centre for Open Education in Russian and Russian Language Teaching, launched last May in Havana, has garnered significant interest among Cuban citizens. Equipped with necessary technical facilities for educational purposes, the centre has received over 800 applications since its opening, with more than 170 individuals undergoing Russian language training there.

Collaboration between Russia and Cuba in emergency prevention and response is steadily advancing. This year commemorates the establishment anniversary of the Regional Russian-Cuban Centre for the Training of Fire and Rescue Specialists, which has been operational since 2014. Over the years, the centre has conducted 83 advanced training courses, engaging 1,187 students.

The robust foundation for enhancing Russian-Cuban cooperation on the global stage lies in the alignment or congruence of our stances on key issues of the international and regional agenda. Both nations are committed to steadfast adherence to the norms and principles of international law, notably the United Nations Charter, and to bolstering the central role of the UN and its Security Council.

Cuba has been a co-author of main Russian initiatives within the UN General Assembly. These include measures aimed at countering the glorification of Nazism, enhancing international information security, promoting confidence-building measures in outer space, advocating non-placement of weapons in outer space, and preventing an arms race in outer space.

Moscow and Havana stand together on the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states and firmly oppose illegal coercive measures aimed at punishing governments labelled as “undesirable.”

Russia consistently advocates for the immediate cessation of the trade, economic, and financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States. Alongside the vast majority of nations worldwide, Russia voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution on November 2, 2023, urging the lifting of the embargo against Havana. Furthermore, Russia firmly supports Cuba’s removal from the unilateral list of state sponsors of terrorism maintained by the US State Department.

Moscow views this discriminatory and unlawful practice as a flagrant and systematic violation of international law, especially the UN Charter. The imposition of sanctions against Cuba is seen as a challenge to the entire framework of international relations, eroding global and regional stability and normalising unilateral restrictions as a standard tool of interstate interaction or a pervasive method of political coercion.