Legislators from the Republic of Cuba and the Russian Federation ratified this Friday the will to continue strengthening the strategic partnership between the two nations, especially in economic, commercial and financial matters, for the benefit of both peoples.
During a fruitful virtual exchange held between Félix Martínez Suárez, president of the Economic Affairs Commission of the National Assembly of People’s Power, and Alexander Babakov, vice president of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; Both parties highlighted their willingness to consolidate ties and unity between both countries, in the face of the current complex international scenario and other existing challenges.
In his speech, Alexander Babakov conveyed his fraternal greeting to Esteban Lazo Hernández, head of the Cuban Parliament, and described the Greater Antilles as “a model of firmness, resistance and integrity”; just as he expressed his energetic rejection of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States of America against Cuba.
He considered the most recent high-level bilateral meetings that have allowed for the consolidation of political, parliamentary and governmental relations, among them the official visit to Havana of Vyacheslav Volodin, president of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; to lead with his Cuban counterpart the first session of the Cooperation Commission between both legislative bodies, in April 2023; Esteban Lazo’s participation in the International Parliamentary Conference “Russia-Latin America” last year; and the meeting held at the beginning of last month in Moscow between presidents Miguel Díaz-Canel and Vladimir Putin, after participating in the Victory Day Parade in Red Square; among others.
For his part, Félix Martínez Suárez said that the Cuban-Russian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic-Commercial and Scientific-Technical Collaboration constitutes the main mechanism for monitoring bilateral projects identified by both parties. Regarding the significance of this work meeting, held by videoconference, he stated that “it is about the monitoring and support from our Parliaments to strategic and high priority issues, which cover key sectors of the Economic and Social Development Plan of our country, and others of mutual interest. The agreements we adopted at the meeting we held last year in Havana have had follow-up and attention by the corresponding organizations, and evaluation by the Intergovernmental Commission,” he stressed.
Directors of the Financial Market Committee of the State Duma also participated in the meeting on the Russian side; while on the Cuban side, Teresa González Barea, vice president of the Economic Affairs Commission of the Cuban Parliament, was also present; authorities of the Central Bank of Cuba, the Ministry of Finance and Prices, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment; as well as Bárbara Sarabia, International Relations official of the National Assembly; among other guests.
