According to the Duma information, “Volodin met with the Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment on Wednesday, during which he said that the ties between the two countries are developing and expanding in all spheres.”

At the parliamentary level, he recalled, the Commission on Cooperation between the State Duma and the National People’s Power Assembly of Cuba, which met for the first time last year in Havana, is functioning.

“Our presidents, Vladimir Putin and Miguel Diaz-Canel are making every effort to ensure that relations are of a strategic nature and are based on friendship and the principles of trust and mutual respect,” Volodin remarked.

For Moscow, he said, the ties with Havana stand out among other things for being “time-tested and challenging.”

Cabrisas, in turn, thanked the Russian Parliament for its constant support for Cuba, and emphasized the condemnation of the United States economic blockade against Cuba. Volodin and Cabrisas agreed in condemning the sanctions by the United States and its allies against Russia and Cuba.

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