On March 19, at the plenary meeting of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, draft federal law No. 553823-8 “On the ratification of protocols on amendments to Russian-Cuban intergovernmental credit agreements” was considered. The document is aimed at developing economic cooperation between Russia and Cuba.
The position of the Committee on International Affairs when considering the issue was presented by its first deputy chairman, deputy chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation D.G. Novikov.
Dear Colleagues!
Today we again turn to the topic “Russia-Cuba”.
The heads of state – Vladimir Putin and Miguel Diaz-Canel – have repeatedly emphasized the importance of strengthening the strategic partnership between our countries.
A joint high-level commission headed by Vyacheslav Volodin and Esteban Laso operates along the parliamentary line. Its work is planned for the current year.
Four days ago, the 21st meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation was held at the Russia exhibition and forum. It is headed by Dmitry Chernyshenko and Ricardo Cabrisas.
The commission discussed issues of bilateral trade and investment, cooperation in the fields of industry, energy, transport, tourism, construction, agriculture, communications, customs, science, culture, and sports. Five new agreements were signed, including in the areas of education, geological exploration and healthcare.
In general, significant progress has been made in our cooperation. Its strengthening is extremely important for the implementation of the national plan for the socio-economic development of Cuba until 2030. Our countries have a “joint plan for the development of key areas of cooperation in the trade and economic sphere until 2030.”
Last year, an Agreement was signed to encourage the participation of Russian investors in projects in Cuba.
A Headquarters for the implementation of Russian-Cuban investment projects has been created on the basis of VEB.RF. There is an agreement to create a similar structure in Cuba.
The acceptance of Mir cards has been launched in Cuba, and their use is expanding. The Cuban government proposes to consider the possibility of issuing Mir cards by Cuban banks.
Last year the number of Russian tourists in Cuba amounted to 185 thousand people. This has exceeded pre-pandemic levels. But it would be right if, with our assistance, this figure increases significantly in the future. There are such possibilities.
The Russian-Cuban dialogue has acquired a rhythmic and planned character. However, I emphasize this on behalf of the entire faction of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in the State Duma, it is necessary to understand and not forget that the influence of brutal sanctions from the United States, which have lasted for decades, has a cumulative negative effect on the Cuban economy. We do not have time to drag out the resumption of our once exceptionally close cooperation for many years. Decisions to activate it must be made quickly and implemented as soon as possible.
We proceed from the fact that the already announced meeting of the Russia-Cuba parliamentary friendship group will be held no later than the first half of April with the participation of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba, Julio Antonio Garmendia Peña. We will determine the date next week, when the Cuban embassy hosts a government delegation currently working in Moscow.
The topic of Cuba is important to us from different sides. A month ago, here in the hall, colleagues raised important issues of Russian education. Vyacheslav Viktorovich supported the raising of the issue – and we came to the decision to hold large-scale hearings in the State Duma on this topic.
I believe that the content of the educational process should be at the center of the discussion. It’s good that a unified history textbook has appeared, but further work needs to be done on its content.
Another important issue is the teaching of foreign languages in Russian secondary and higher schools. It has become common to have English lessons in the school schedule. But it’s time to ask yourself questions: Why is this so? Why do we hold on to this practice? Of course, it is necessary to study English, but is it right not to give students a choice? The Spanish language is used so widely in the world that it definitely deserves to be studied in schools and universities. You also need to think about the Chinese language.
As for today’s ratification. The State Duma Committee on International Affairs considered the relevant issue at its meeting. We propose to support the draft prepared decision presented by the Ministry of Finance.
Let this be another small step towards the formation of that multipolar and fair world, the importance of which our Serbian colleague and friend Nenad Stevandić spoke about today.