Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero reiterated on Thursday the island's willingness to support the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) member states in confronting COVID-19 with its vaccines.
Moscow.- At the virtual meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, held in the Russian city of Kazan, Marrero stressed that such assistance could also derive in a strategic line of cooperation of the Caribbean nation with the bloc.
He said that the levels of incidence of the pandemic, the high prices in the commercialization of vaccines, and the current rate of immunization indicate that it will take 21 years to immunize the entire world population.
He pointed out that the vaccine candidates developed by the Finlay Vaccine Institute and the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, both in Cuba, have so far proved to be effective against the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strains detected worldwide.
The Cuban Prime Minister assured that the Caribbean nation can produce a large number of vaccines and plans to become one of the first states in the world to immunize its entire population.
CUBA DENOUNCES IMPACT OF US BLOCKADE AT EURASIAN FORUM
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero on Friday denounced the tightening of the United States blockade against Cuba, at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Council, in the Russian city of Kazan.
In his virtual speech, the head of Government recalled that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a large-scale global multi-sectoral crisis, aggravated by trade wars and unilateral coercive measures that violate international law.
"In this situation, Cuba has had to deal with the unprecedented tightening of the economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the US Government, which has remained intact under the administration of President (Joe) Biden," he underlined.
Marrero explained that the consequences of Washington's policy are combined with the economic impact of COVID-19, which has had a particular incidence on tourism, one of Cuba's major sources of hard currency, and the damage caused by natural disasters as a result of climate change.
The prime minister repeated Cuba's gratefulness for the permanent support from the member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in the condemnation of the US blockade against the Caribbean island.
He underlined that Cuba grants great importance to economic, commercial, and financial relations and cooperation with the EAEU member States.
In that regard, he noted the possibility of expanding and strengthening exchanges in such sectors as trade, energy, transportation, tourism, the iron and steel industry, mining, health care, the pharmaceutical industry, and biotechnology.
Marrero expressed gratitude for the invitation to the meeting, chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin, as the incumbent president of the EAEU, and his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Mishustin, on behalf of the country that hosted the forum.
Senior representatives of the EEU member states Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan, and Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Cuba, the last three with observer country status, are also taking part in the meeting. Cuba was represented by Ambassador to Russia Julio Garmendia, who was named by his Government the permanent representative at the Eurasian Economic Commission.(RHC / PL)
