MINSK, 5 April (BelTA) — Belarus and Cuba have a great potential for advancing cooperation in trade and high technologies. The matters were discussed as Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Cuba to Belarus Juan Valdes Figueroa on 5 April, BelTA has learned.
The parties agreed that the volume of mutual trade does not meet all the capabilities of the two countries. Vladimir Andreichenko said that during the most favorable years Belarus-Cuba trade exceeded $100 million. The figure dropped to $60 million in 2017. "Nevertheless, we have opportunities to increase it," the speaker assured. Members of the parliament intend to make their significant contribution as well. The National Assembly has a working group on cooperation with the Cuban parliament, which has recently been reelected. According to Vladimir Andreichenko, members of the Belarusian parliament need to establish contacts with their new colleagues in order to work together on achieving the countries' objectives.
The Cuban ambassador, in turn, identified the most promising ways to develop bilateral cooperation in addition to trade. He drew attention to high technologies, noting that Cuba closely follows the changes taking place in Belarus in this sphere and considers them to be breakthrough. The diplomat believes that cooperation in pharmacology is also promising. "There are many issues in science and technology that we can mutually help each other to resolve," Juan Valdes Figueroa said. In addition, the Cuban side expects more tourists from Belarus, including thanks to charter flights.
It was pointed out during the meeting that the Belarusian-Cuban relations had stood the test of time. Regular high-level visits give them a new impetus. "Belarus has always regarded Cuba as a reliable partner in Latin America and, for its part, is always ready to assist with promoting its interests in the region," the chairman of the House of Representatives pointed out. He reminded that the countries had established close cooperation within international organizations and support each other across the board.
