Havana dismisses deterioration in Cuba-Russia ties
The Cuban Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has dismissed as speculation claims that Havana-Moscow ties have cooled after the communist Caribbean state and US restored relations.
"I am sure that this (the assumption about the deterioration of relations with Russia) is only speculation, showing ignorance of the historical traditions of Cuban philosophy and approach," said Mercedes Martinez Valdez in an interview with Russia's RIA Novosti news agency, adding that Havana-Moscow ties “are based on a genuine feeling of friendship.”
Valdez stated that Russia and Cuba still share similar stances on different international issues, stressing that the two sides are determined to maintain their friendly relations at the highest level.
"We can say with confidence that this cooperation will continue: both peoples want this and believe our friendship is very important," she said, noting, "The proof of the positive development is the active exchange of views, which we make at the various international forums and international organizations platforms."
The senior diplomat, however, warned that “the economic relations [between the two countries] still haven’t reached the level of the political relations,” vowing that both states will “make efforts to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation.”
The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961, two years after Fidel Castro, a staunch critic of Washington’s policies, came to power at the height of the Cold War.
US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro, Fidel’s younger brother who succeeded him in 2008, announced the historic rapprochement between the two countries in December after 18 months of secret talks.
On August 14, the US flag was raised over the American embassy in Havana for the first time in 54 years. US Secretary of State John Kerry presided over the ceremony to reopen the US embassy in the communist state.
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