The Federation Council Speaker met with Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz.
Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko met with Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba. The discussion focused on bilateral ties and the expansion of cooperation.
The Federation Council Speaker noted Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz’s active involvement in strengthening Russian-Cuban ties. “We appreciate his substantial contribution to the advancement of friendly relations, to the expansion of trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation.”
Valentina Matvienko stressed that strategic bilateral relations between Russia and Cuba are focused on the future. “Both parties reaffirmed this during intensive political contacts that took place at the beginning of the year,” she said.
She commended the last regular meeting of the Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission, co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko on the Russian side, adding that “parliamentarians were open to dialogue and ready to help as well.”
According to Valentina Matvienko, Russian senators approved a federal law today ratifying several protocols that amended Russian-Cuban intergovernmental agreements.
Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz noted the active role of parliamentarians in the development of political dialogue between the two countries as well as in promoting trade and economic cooperation. He stressed the importance of implementing the framework intergovernmental agreement on encouraging Russian investors to take part in projects in Cuba.
The parties also touched upon cooperation in healthcare and tourism, the expansion of contacts and ties within integration associations and on international platforms.
Also attending the meeting were Deputy Federation Council Speaker Konstantin Kosachev, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs and Head of the Federation Council’s Group on Cooperation with the National Assembly of People’s Power of the Republic of Cuba Andrei Shevchenko, and First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Sergei Kislyak.