14ymedio (With information from EFE), Madrid, 18 November 2022 — Cuba has shown interest in fertilizers, hydrocarbons and wheat from Russia at the XIX meeting in Moscow of the intergovernmental commission for cooperation between the two nations.
“The Cuban side expressed its interest in stable supplies to the Island of fertilizers, hydrocarbons and Russian wheat,” the Russian Ministry of Economic Development told the official TASS agency.
During the negotiations, the parties also discussed the current state and prospects of bilateral trade and economic relations.
In particular, cooperation in the humanitarian, scientific and educational fields was addressed, as was the implementation of projects in the industry and energy sectors, although no details were offered.
To deepen ties in the humanitarian field, an agreement has been signed between the government of the Russian Federation and the government of the Republic of Cuba on cooperation in the field of higher education, the statement concludes.
The meeting of the Russian-Cuban intergovernmental commission takes place on the eve of the arrival in Moscow of the Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, who will meet early next week with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to participate in the inauguration of a monument in honor of Fidel Castro.
These days, both countries have intensified contacts and statements. The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergey Riabkov, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba, Ricardo Cabrisas, addressed on Thursday the “unacceptable” unilateral sanctions against their respective countries.
Riabkov also expressed his “unconditional support for Cuba to lift the illegal US embargo of the Island.”
A day earlier, within the framework of the Havana International Fair, Boris Titov, Russian presidential commissioner for workers’ rights, said that both nations are negotiating the possibility of carrying out transactions in rubles and cryptocurrencies, with the aim of dodging international sanctions and facilitating “mutual payments.”
In confirming Miguel Díaz-Canel’s official trip to Moscow, the spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dmitri Peskov, said that it was “a very important visit”: “Cuba is a very important partner for us. We have a lot to talk about.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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