Belarus, Cuba discuss political, economic cooperation in Minsk

Ways to step up Belarusian-Cuban relations were discussed in Minsk on January 25-27 during a visit of the delegation of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs led by Deputy Foreign Minister Dagoberto Rodriguez, BelTA learnt from representatives of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry.

While in Minsk the Cuban delegation held meetings and negotiations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus. Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergei Martynov received the delegation. The head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry received an invitation from the Foreign Minister of Cuba, which is presiding over the Non-Aligned Movement, to take part in a ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement Coordinating Bureau in Havana in April 2009.

During negotiations with Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergei Aleinik the sides discussed the state and prospects of the bilateral cooperation in political, trade, economic and other spheres in detail. Special attention was paid to the preparation of a regular session of the Belarusian-Cuban commission for trade and economic cooperation. The session is supposed to take place in Minsk this year.

The Foreign Ministry told BelTA, in January-November 2008 Belarus-Cuba trade totalled $49.2 million, with export as high as 34.7 million and import as high as $14.5 million. The foreign trade surplus made up $20.2 million. Belarus supplied buses, tractors, potash fertilisers, combustion engines, and trucks to Cuba, mainly importing raw sugar and vaccines.