The vice president of the National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba, Ana Mari Machado, stated this Tuesday that relations between Cuba and Russia are historic and of a high priority.
 
In an exchange via videoconference with the first vice-president of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Ivan I. Melnikov, Mari underlined the political will, expressed by both States and their leaders, to consolidate bilateral ties, with a strategic nature also in the parliamentary sphere.
 
During the meeting, the officials followed up on the implementation of the agreements resulting from the first session of the Cooperation Commission between both legislative bodies, held in Havana in April 2023.
 
Mari and Melnikov highlighted the holding to date of important online meetings between three of the six groups created, with useful analyzes on topics of common interest, including constitutional and legal issues linked to the mining-energy sector and the development of tourism.
 
Mari pointed out the relevance of the meeting held at the beginning of this month in Moscow between Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, after participating in the Victory Day Parade in the Red Square.
 
For his part, the First Vice President of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation ratified his country's support for the lifting of the US blockade of Cuba and the exclusion of the island from the list of State sponsors of terrorism.
 
In April 2023, Volodin and the head of Cuban parliament, Esteban Lazo, led the first session of the Cooperation Commission between both legislative bodies in Havana.
 
As fundamental objectives of this Commission, they agreed to continue strengthening and expanding the bilateral relations between both two Parliaments, through an exchange of experiences on topics of common interest.