On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero agreed on a bilateral cooperation agenda that will allow Cuba to overcome the economic difficulties caused by the U.S. blockade.
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"We will do everything possible so that our economic cooperation helps to overcome the difficulties caused from abroad," Putin said, specifying that bilateral cooperation prioritize issues related to energy and tourism.
"You know that we have always had and will have a special relationship with the Island of Liberty," he said, asking Marrero to give his "best wishes" to President Miguel Diaz-Canel and "comrade Raul Castro."
Marrero stressed that Cuba has proposed holding the meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union (UEE) in Havana and insisted that his country rejects the sanctions of the United States and its Western allies against Russia.
"We see in your country a real strength. We are very proud of your country," he pointed out, recalling that international "phobia" and pressure against Russia have completely failed.
Previously, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin agreed with Marrero to prepare an agreement for the company Rosneft to supply 1.64 million tons of oil and hydrocarbons per year to the Cuban people.
Russia also hopes to send up to half a million tourists a year to Cuba and become the main issuer of tourists to that Caribbean country, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Chernishenko said during a meeting in May.
Recently, both countries agreed to resume on July 1 regular flights that were stopped in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also expected that Russian businessmen will invest in the construction of hotel complexes and the modernization of existing infrastructures.