Russia is eager to actively promote military and economy ties with Cuba amid a trade embargo introduced against the Caribbean nation by the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday
HAVANA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2019) Russia is eager to actively promote military and economy ties with Cuba amid a trade embargo introduced against the Caribbean nation by the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday."We will support in all ways Cuba, Cuban people and the Cuban leadership. Not only morally, but developing military cooperation with Cuba, actively promoting trade, economic projects, which will help make the Cuban economy more resilient to external effects of different kinds. I hope we will succeed," Lavrov said after talks with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in Havana.
The Russian foreign minister reiterated his solidarity in the face of "unacceptable measures" against Havana taken by Washington, which included a trade embargo and threats of new sanctions.
"We deeply respect the resilience of Cuban people who endure all these attacks linked to the illegal economic embargo with dignity and also reach new highs in the economy, medicine, culture, education. We always stand with people of Cuba, defending the norms of international law," the top Russian diplomat stressed.
He drew attention to the annual UN General Assembly's resolution that stated that the US trade embargo against Cuba was unacceptable. It usually gains 190 votes on average, with the United States voting against the resolution. According to Lavrov, the stance of the international community on the situation in Cuba "speaks for itself."
Following the victory of the Cuban revolutionaries over the US-backed regime, Washington severed diplomatic ties with Cuba and imposed a trade embargo on the country in the 1960s. Washington and Havana expressed their intention to start working on normalizing bilateral relations only in 2014. As a result, many restrictions on exchanges between the United States and Cuba were eased under then-President Barack Obama.
However, in 2017, US President Donald Trump reversed the policy of his predecessor and abandoned attempts to normalize relations with Havana. Trump set new limits for US citizens traveling to Cuba and businesses.
