Putin's Visit to Strengthen Russia's Ties with Cuba: AmbassadorRussian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to Cuba will strengthen bilateral relations, said the Russian ambassador to the Caribbean country, quoted the local media on Saturday, December 10.Putin's visit will confirm that his country "has the political will to develop relations in every area," said Russian Ambassador to Cuba Andrey Dimitriev, adding that it would also help consolidate the growing rapprochement between Moscow and Havana started in 1996. Cuba is one of the most important partners of Russia in Latin America, not only because of the volume of bilateral trade which could reach US$800 million this year, but also because of the potential for expanding their relations, the ambassador said. Both Putin and his Cuban counterpart Fidel Castro have expressed their readiness to strengthen bilateral relations, the ambassador said. The two leaders had a 50-minute talk during the UN Millennium Summit in September in New York, and announced their decision to promote bilateral economic relations. Putin will be the first Russian Federation's leader to visit the Caribbean country. Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev visited Cuba in 1989. |
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