President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Minister, friends,
It is a great pleasure to meet with you in Moscow, not only in your capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs but also as a special envoy of the President. Please convey my best wishes to the President of Cuba and Army General Castro.
Relations between our countries are special and have been forged through history. We have always stood by Cuba in its struggle for independence, for the right to pursue its own path of development, and we have consistently supported the Cuban people. We understand the immense challenges that the Cuban people have faced over the years, over the decades – indeed, throughout the decades of Cuba’s independence – in their fight for the right to live by their own rules and to defend their national interests.
We are now witnessing a particular period marked by new sanctions. You know our stance on this – we reject such measures outright. The position of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is clear, unequivocal, and has been articulated openly.
As for bilateral relations, they are developing, on the whole, along a positive trajectory, and I am confident that today we will have the opportunity to discuss all these matters in detail.
I am very glad to see you. Welcome!
Incidentally, this year we will mark the centenary of Fidel Castro’s birth, and we will do so together.
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla (retranslated): Mr President Vladimir Putin,
It is a great honour for me to convey to you warm greetings from Army General Raúl Castro Ruz and from President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.
I am exceedingly pleased to be in Moscow, given Russia’s extraordinary and unwavering solidarity with Cuba. The relations between our countries have been forged and tested by time and mutual support, particularly during challenging moments. The Cuban people deeply cherish and hold in high regard the Russian people. All these years, we have worked hand in hand on various matters of the international agenda and, above all, on the development of bilateral relations, which remain of paramount priority for our nation.
Our relations are progressing well, with joint projects aimed at the mutual benefit of our peoples. I would like to express my profound gratitude for Russia’s solidarity, firmly demonstrated by you, the Government of Russia, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, in the face of the tightening blockade of Cuba and the recent energy siege, which has inflicted suffering on our people and created extremely difficult conditions for our economy.
I am deeply grateful to you for this opportunity. I have arrived in Moscow, where it is very cold and snowing heavily, yet I have felt the warmth of true friendship.
Vladimir Putin: We are delighted to welcome you!
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