Cuba’s prime minister began an official trip to Moscow this week to discuss economic cooperation, as the two sanction-hit countries say their bilateral trade is surging.
(Bloomberg) — Cuba’s prime minister began an official trip to Moscow this week to discuss economic cooperation, as the two sanction-hit countries say their bilateral trade is surging.
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said on Twitter the trip would help strengthen long-standing ties between the two nations and he thanked Russia for its “strategic role” on the island.
Cuba has sought to strengthen relations with traditional allies — often nations the US sees as adversaries — as it says Washington of trying to strangle its economy through a decades-old economic embargo. Russia is also facing international sanctions tied to its invasion of Ukraine. Even so, trade between the nations has increased nine-fold during the first four months of 2023, Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said last week.
Read More: Cuba Signs Deal With Russia to Boost Investment in Energy Sector
Marrero’s trip comes as a US official recently acknowledged that China has had spying facilities on the communist island — which lies just 90 miles from Florida — since the Trump administration. On Monday, China denied those claims.
Read More: China Denies US Claims It Conducts Spy Activities From Cuba
Also this week, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is expected to begin a tour of “friendly countries,” including, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, AFP reported.
Marrero’s trip to Moscow will last through Saturday, when he’s expected to travel to Saint Petersburg for the the International Economic Forum, state-run Prensa Latina reported.
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