Russia calls on Cuba to strive closer to' strategic partnership
Russian President Vladimir Putin called communist Cuba's new leader Miguel Diaz-Canel Tuesday to discuss strengthening the two countries' "strategic partnership," the Russian foreign ministry said in a message retweeted its embassy in Havana.
In Tuesday's call, Putin and Diaz-Canel "confirmed their mutual willingness to strengthen the strategic partnership as well as to coordinate efforts in the fight against the spread of #COVID19," said the tweet.
The call came the day after Diaz-Canel took over from Raul Castro as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), the most powerful position in the one-party state that was an important Cold War ally of Russia.
Castro and his brother Fidel before him had successively held the post for more than six decades.
The Kremlin had earlier issued a statement congratulating Diaz-Canel and expressing willingness to "develop a constructive bilateral dialogue and mutually-beneficial cooperation" between the two nations.
The tougher measures and the effects of the coronavirus epidemic contributed to Cuba's economy declining 11 per cent in 2020.
While Russia seeks closer ties, Cuba's relations with the United States have been low since then-President Donald Trump reinforced sanctions following a historic but temporary easing of tensions under Barack Obama between 2014 and 2016.
Diaz-Canel said in his first address as a leader, "It is said that Cuba is not a priority for the United States... That begs the question why then are their laws... to attack and to try and control the destiny of Cuba.”
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said last Friday the United States was not planning any immediate change in its policy toward Cuba, which would continue to focus on "support for democracy and human rights."
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