The products donated by Russia will be part of the stockpile stored by the World Food Program (WFP) in Cuba for emergency food assistance.

Russia stressed its strong will to continue to cooperate with Cuba at a ceremony in Havana to deliver a donation of 650 tons of vegetable oil worth nearly three million dollars.

Havana, Cuba.- The products donated by Russia will be part of the stockpile stored by the World Food Program (WFP) in Cuba for emergency food assistance.

We are now witnessing a demonstration of the unwavering commitment of the Russian people and government to the food and nutritional security of the sister Republic of Cuba, Russian Ambassador Victor Koronelli said.

This is happening amid the criminal policy of strangulation of Cuba's economy by the unilateral measures imposed by Washington and I am sure that with the support of friends like Russia, Cuba will triumph in the face of the adversities created by hostile forces, he added.

Russian vegetable oil donationThe diplomat pointed out that the event was made possible thanks to cooperation with the WFP, through a donation from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and Civil Protection (EMERCOM).

Last year, nearly 600 tons of peas were acquired to respond to emergencies in Cuba. Most of that cargo has already been distributed among more than 500,000 people affected by Hurricane Ian in the province of Pinar del Río, he said.

WFP Representative Etienne Labande, in turn, noted that Russia, through the participation of EMERCOM, is a very important partner for the program globally and, of course, in Cuba.

Russia’s contributions to the WFP from 2018 to date have accumulated more than 15 million dollars. That allows for a regular supply that guarantees to maintain available material and emergency response capacity in Cuba for some 260,000 people, she noted.

Cuban First Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Ana Teresita González stated that the donation will benefit vulnerable sectors of the Cuban population and pregnant women in five eastern provinces.

We seek the effective participation of Russia in our national plan of social economic development for mutual benefit and we are working on the creation of conditions for this.

Russia’s contribution in 2022 and 2023, with 4.5 million dollars to finance purchases through the WFP for Cuba, made it possible to acquire 932 tons of vegetable oil this year.

CUBA AND RUSSIA TO STRENGTHEN AND MATERIALIZE COOPERATION

Russian Ambassador to Cuba Viktor KoronelliRussian Ambassador to Cuba Viktor Koronelli on Wednesday favored strengthening and materializing cooperation, including a broad participation by his country's business sector in Havana's International Fair (FIHAV).

Referring to the Russia-Cuba Business Forum held in Havana in May and the works done by the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic-Commercial and Scientific-Technical Cooperation, Koronelli told Prensa Latina that progress is being made gradually.

Some 14 agreements, contracts, and letters of intent signed at the end of the two forums’ works showed both countries’ willingness to begin a new stage in their economic-commercial relations, with specific points defined in their working agenda, experts stressed in this capital at the time.

Cooperation in energy, construction, agriculture, agricultural industry, and tourism, among other items, found fertile ground in the talks between Russian and Cuban entrepreneurs and officials in Havana.

Documents are being prepared to be signed to formalize the agreements reached during the works of the recently concluded Intergovernmental Commission, the diplomat said about the event in Havana in May.

Contacts are also executed in the business sphere, Koronelli said, shortly after the end of a ceremony to deliver a donation of vegetable oil from Russia through the World Food Program (WFP) in Cuba.

I know that a representative of the Russian company Progresagro is in Cuba to cooperate in the production of sugar cane, and we expect that a big representation of Russian companies will participate in FIHAV in November, he stressed.

Commenting on the aid delivered to Cuba, the Russian ambassador said that the donation confirms the relations between our two countries and the aid and support the Russian Federation provides to a brotherly people.

This tangible and real action is not the first cargo that Russia has delivered to Cuba through the WFP. I consider that this practice will continue, he said.

We have several cooperation projects with Cuba in the framework of United Nations structures, and it is not only the WFP, as they are also implemented through the UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), the diplomat concluded. (PL)