In the midst of the severe and prolonged crisis that the island is going through, the Cuban Government seeks to strengthen its ties with strategic allies. In particular, with Russia and China.
The visits made these days by two of its main figures point in this direction: Ricardo Cabrisas, until recently Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment and still Cuban Vice Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
Cabrisas recently traveled to Russia at the head of the Cuban delegation that will speak at the International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg, which includes other Cuban officials, such as the Minister of Transportation, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, and the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment. Foreigner, Carlos Luis Jorge Méndez.
The agenda of the delegation also includes “contacts with official and business counterparts linked to the main issues of the bilateral agenda and the agreements adopted to achieve the effective participation of the Russian Federation in the National Economic and Social Development Plan of Cuba until 2030. ”says official information.
These meetings seek to promote “the expansion and diversification of economic, commercial, financial and cooperation relations between Cuba and Russia, considered by the leaders of both countries as relations of allies,” the statement adds.
In Moscow, to move forward “with agility and without improvisations”
Before heading to Saint Petersburg, the island’s delegation carries out a work program in Moscow, as part of which “meetings have been held with parliamentary leaders and business organizations” linked to bilateral cooperation, reports Granma.
In this context, Cabrisas met with the vice president of the Russian Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, who assured that “Cuba will continue to count on Russian parliamentary support,” and with Iván Mielnikov, first vice president of the State Duma and first vice president of the Russian Communist Party.
These meetings confirmed “the willingness of Moscow and Havana to build and strengthen relations in the widest range of areas,” according to the official media.
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In addition, the Antillean delegation exchanged with “leaders and executives of Russian entities and companies linked to key sectors in the bilateral relationship, such as the sugar agroindustry, transportation, food production and tourism.”
In these exchanges “the main actions that have been carried out together were analyzed, and agreements were adopted for their continuity,” he states. Granmawithout providing more details.
Likewise, “the existence of mutually beneficial business opportunities for both countries was ratified, under current circumstances.”
According to the publication, in the meetings held in Moscow Cabrisas “insisted on the importance of moving forward with agility and without improvisations, to achieve the realization of the defined purposes and the materialization of joint projects.”
The chancellor to China
The trip of Cabrisas and his delegation to Russia is joined by the one that the Cuban Foreign Minister has been making to China since this Wednesday.
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla visits the Asian nation “as Special Envoy” of President Miguel Díaz-Canel, according to a note from the Foreign Ministry.
The brief information is not abundant in the visit program, beyond ensuring that the island’s foreign minister “will hold official conversations with senior officials of that country.”
In addition, he confirms that Rodríguez Parrilla will be accompanied by other diplomats, including Carlos Miguel Pereira, general director of Bilateral Affairs at Minrex.
The Cuban envoy is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, although it remains to be seen whether other senior leaders of that country will also hold talks with him. Also, if there will be meetings with the Chinese business community or the signing of a new agreement.
In recent years, Havana and Beijing have held several high-level meetings and have signed cooperation agreements and memoranda.
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Recently, Cuban authorities announced that Chinese visitors can travel to the island without a visa, and celebrated the return of Air China flights between both countries, seeking to boost tourism from the Asian giant.
Economic and political meetings and the signing of bilateral agreements are also common with Russia, as part of a relationship that Havana and Moscow describe as “strategic.”
Last month, President Díaz-Canel traveled to Moscow, invited to the military parade for “Victory Day.” During his visit he met with leaders of that nation, including President Vladimir Putin.
Cooperation between Cuba and Russia is currently developing in areas such as energy, metallurgy, transportation and tourism. The latter is experiencing a boom, after the arrival of some 185,000 Russian tourists to the island in 2023, the resumption of direct flights and the use of Mir bank cards in the Caribbean nation.
