PM: Belarus, Cuba need to jointly resist external pressure by strengthening economic ties

MINSK, 9 June (BelTA) - Belarus and Cuba need to jointly resist external pressure by strengthening economic ties, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko said as he met with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Cruz in Sochi Russia on 8 June, BelTA has learned.

“Belarus and Cuba are strategic allies, and it has been time tested. We have always supported each other on all international platforms building our economic and cultural relations. Currently, both of our countries are subjected to large-scale economic pressure. In our opposition to this illegal pressure, we draw confidence from the long struggle of the Cuban people for their independence,” Roman Golovchenko said.

The world is changing dramatically, he said. “I am certain that in the very next few years the world will be different than we saw it before. It will become more just, the voice of all countries will matter. No one will be able to dictate and impose their will on independent states. But in order to do this, we must work together to resist pressure, including by strengthening bilateral economic ties,” the prime minister stressed.

“We have achieved certain success this year: trade between Belarus and Cuba has increased several times compared to the same period last year. The intensity of mutual visits and negotiations between Belarusian and Cuban partners has increased as well. We should move forward more actively, however. To promote trade and economic relations we have developed a mechanism of compensatory mutual supplies of goods. We believe that it should be updated and modernized and the list of the goods supplied under this agreement should be specified and the volume of the mutual flow of goods under this document should be expanded,” the Belarusian head of government said.