Meeting with First Vice President of the Council of State and Ministers of Cuba Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko praised positive trends in Belarus-Cuba trade and economic relations. The issue was on the agenda of the meeting with First Vice President of the Council of State and Ministers of Cuba Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez on 23 May.

The President emphasized that there has been certain progress in the Belarusian-Cuban trade and economic cooperation, the trade turnover between the countries has increased. “We appreciate the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States of America,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said and added that it will also have a positive impact on the economy of Cuba.

Good trends can be seen in the agricultural industry and other areas of big importance for the Cuban economy, the Belarusian leader remarked. “We also see our place, Belarus’ place, in the Cuban economy. We are prepared for this cooperation. Moreover, a good basis has been created because about 30 intergovernmental agreements being part of a solid legal framework have been signed,” the head of state is convinced.

Aleksandr Lukashenko expressed hope that the visit of the high-ranking Cuban official to Belarus will give an impetus to the development of bilateral relations. Speaking about political contacts, the President noted that Belarus and Cuba do not virtually have diplomatic problems. “We have similar positions on the entire international agenda, our opinions correspond in virtually all fields,” he stressed.

The Belarusian leader resumed his invitation for President of the Council of State of Cuba Raul Castro to visit Belarus. The Belarusian leader also asked to convey the best wishes to Fidel Castro. “I think that I will be able to meet with him in the near future to discuss the most urgent issues of international relations as we had done before,” the head of state said.

The First Vice President of the Council of State and Ministers of Cuba thanked Aleksandr Lukashenko for the opportunity to visit Belarus. He said that he has very good impressions about the country. Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez, in turn, conveyed the best wishes from Raul Castro to Aleksandr Lukashenko and invited him to visit Cuba at a time of convenience.