Washington sanctions Havana: Russia and Cuba are strategic allies

Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuban president who makes his first visit to Russia since taking office in April, reaffirmed on Friday in the Kremlin their links « strategic allies » when Washington threatens Havana with new sanctions.

When Miguel Diaz-Canel succeeded Raul Castro in April, Vladimir Putin said he was « ready to work closely together to further strengthen the strategic partnership and constructive cooperation in all areas ».

Along with Putin, Miguel Diaz-Canel praised Friday « very useful talks that confirmed the perfect state of bilateral relations. »

President Putin told the press in a meeting with Diaz-Canel in Kremnil, « We have confirmed that the relations between our countries are those of strategic allies ».

The Soviet Union has long been one of Cuba’s unwavering military and economic support for the United States. The collapse of the Soviet regime in 1991 caused a break that Moscow and Havana are now trying to fill with a closer and closer.

« Our peoples are bound by long years of friendship, mutual sympathy, respect and solidarity support, » he said, praising the « friendly and constructive » atmosphere of the meeting that was essentially centered, according to him, on economic cooperation.

This first visit abroad of the Cuban president who came to power in April comes as Washington said this week want to toughen the sanctions against Cuba, accused of forming with Venezuela and Nicaragua a « troika of tyranny ».

The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted, as it has every year since 1992, a non-binding resolution calling for the lifting of the US embargo against Cuba, and rejected an American request to criticize Havana for human rights.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov, the talks between Putin and Diaz-Canel aimed at strengthening trade between Moscow and Havana and economic ties. Military cooperation was also to be on the agenda.

A possible rearmament of the Cuban army by Russia is to be discussed later in November, during a visit by the Cuban Defense Minister to Moscow, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said. Russian press.

During his visit, he will also meet Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev and Russian Patriarch Kirill, who visited Cuba in 2016 for a historic meeting with Pope Francis.

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Gabriel MIHAI

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