Cuba to receive humanitarian aid from Russia to tackle COVID outbreak

Cuba: Cuba island will be receiving humanitarian aid from the Russian authorities before this year ends. 

The office of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov made the announcement who is in Cuba on a working visit on the instruction of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The statement by the Russian authorities notes that “Russia will continue to provide aid to its strategic partner and before the end of the year another batch of humanitarian aid will be sent to Cuba.” 

“Russia delivered several batches of humanitarian aid to Cuba during the pandemic. These are food products, as well as basic necessities and medicines, artificial lung ventilators, oxygen stations and other items,” the statement added. 

On Tuesday, the Russian deputy prime minister held a meet with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas. 

During the meeting, the officials of both the nations discussed the various issues of boosting trade and economic cooperation between the countries. Besides this, the ways of the further development of joint projects on Cuban territory were also discussed.  

Cuba- Russia relations –  

Both the countries have had close cooperation since the days of the Soviet Union. 

Russia has an embassy in Havana and a consulate-general in Santiago de Cuba. Cuba has an embassy in Moscow and an honorary consulate in Saint Petersburg. 

Around 55,000 people of Russian descent are currently living in the Caribbean island. Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Cuba were established after the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Cuba became dependent on Soviet markets and military aid and was a major ally of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. 

In 1972, Cuba joined COMECON, an economic organization of communist countries that were dominated by the Soviet Union, which had the largest economy.

In July 2014, Vladimir Putin also visited Cuba, where he touted a decision to wipe clean 90 percent of the island’s $35 billion debt to Moscow and announced deals to invest in Cuba’s offshore oil industry