The Federation Council Speaker met with President of the National Assembly of People's Power and the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba Esteban Juan Esteban Lazo Hernandez.
Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko held a meeting with President of the National Assembly of People's Power and the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba Juan Esteban Lazo Hernandez. The meeting took place during the official visit of the head of the Cuban Parliament to Moscow.
According to Valentina Matvienko, Esteban Lazo Hernandez’s timely visit to Russia will give a new impetus to the entire range of Russian-Cuban relations, including those between lawmakers. ”Parliamentary dialogue is an important component of bilateral cooperation.“
The officials noted that, thanks to the dialogue between the leaders of the two countries, relations between the states have reached a completely new level in recent years. Valentina Matvienko and Esteban Lazo Hernandez discussed the results of President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez’s recent visit to Russia.
The Federation Council Speaker suggested that friendship groups take parliamentary control over the implementation of all the agreements reached. ”The task for the parliaments of the two countries is to ensure their implementation.“
Valentina Matvienko supported the Cuban initiative to hold a joint inter-parliamentary meeting in Havana in 2023.
The President of the Cuban Parliament said that such a meeting would mark a new stage in the development of relations between the lawmakers. At that, Esteban Lazo Hernandez praised the level of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Russia and Cuba. ”We are ready to continue active cooperation to strengthen trade, economic and financial partnership.“ He listed energy, transport, industry, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, agriculture and tourism among important areas of cooperation.
Touching on the development of regional ties, Valentina Matvienko noted the successful participation of Russian regions in the FIHAV 2022 Havana International Fair held in Cuba. ”We will continue to encourage Russian regions to enter the promising Cuban market. We intend to establish cooperation in new formats.“
Participants in the meeting also exchanged views on cooperation in the humanitarian, education, health and culture spheres.
”Cuba is an example of firmness, adherence to principles and resilience for us. No sanctions can break the spirit of the Cuban people,“ stressed Valentina Matvienko. She thanked the Cuban delegation for their solidarity with Russia in opposing the illegal restrictions imposed by the collective West and for their balanced position on the situation in Ukraine.
Esteban Lazo Hernandez presented Valentina Matvienko with a state decoration of the Republic of Cuba, the Order of Solidarity. ”You have always been the pillar of bilateral relations between our parliaments, and you focus on what unites us, which can advance the political, economic, cultural and social relations between our countries.”
The Federation Council Speaker asked her Cuban counterpart to convey her gratitude to President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez for his attention to inter-parliamentary cooperation and for the award. Valentina Matvienko noted that the traditional friendship and interests of the peoples had been the basis of dialogue between the two countries. According to her, the Soviet Union and Russia had always shown solidarity and supported the Cubans in their struggle for independence and sovereignty.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council 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 Group on Cooperation with the National Assembly of People's Power of the Republic of Cuba Andrei Shevchenko, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture Lyudmila Skakovskaya, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy Yury Fedorov and member of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Sergei Tsekov.