"Our countries occupy similar
positions on key issues of the international agenda
and are together, defending the principal values of
humanity," said the diplomat referring to the more
than 50 years of fraternal ties between the two
nations.
He considers this type of alliance
as beneficial to other countries because "we are
bearers of clear and authentic values, an example
which serves other governments, which is why our
ranks are expanding."
Kamynin commented on the different
bilateral agreements which have been signed over the
last few years in areas such as oil, referring in
particular to Russian corporations Rosneft and
Zarubezhnetf which have an agreement with Cupet (Cuban
Oil Union). Both companies are undertaking crude oil
exploration projects, with plans for a logistical
base in the Mariel Special Development Zone, 45
kilometers northwest of Havana.
Other accords relating to diverse
sectors such as economy; science; education;
pharmacy; culture; tourism; shipping;
telecommunications; radio communications;
electronics and postal activities, among many other
have been established.
"There are many plans for joint work,
both bilateral and in the regional integrationist
blocs. I am also referring to the agreements on
production on offshore rigs. Cuba is the principal
importer of modern Russian civilian aircrafts. We
have cooperation agreements and programs in
different spheres of civil society," said Kamynin.
The Russia-Cuba connection was
established many years ago, when in 1829 the Emperor
Nicolás I founded the first Russian consulate in
Havana. Since then a growing interest in trade has
been noted.
Three young Russians, Piotr
Streltsov, Eustafi Konstantinovich and Nikolai
Melentiev, fought in the Mambi Army next to Major
General Antonio Maceo, for Cuban independence. In
July 1902, Cuba and Russia established full
diplomatic relations as a result of an exchange of
credentials between President of Cuba Tomás Estrada
Palma, and Emperor of Russia, Nicolás II. Russians
acquired a taste for Cuba’s sugar and tobacco.
Diplomatic relations between Cuba
and the Soviet Union commenced in October 1942, with
significant alignment during WWII, supporting the
Soviets in their fight against fascism and Hitler’s
Germany. Cubans fought in the ranks of the Red Army,
with the Cuban people undertook numerous efforts to
send supplies to the front.
Shortly afterward, in the early
years of the Cold War, the dictatorship of Fulgencio
Batista, under the aegis of the United States, broke
relations with Russia on April 2 1952, which would
later be reestablished on May 8, 1960 after the
triumph of the Revolution. From that moment on, Cuba
and Russia’s relationship became an eloquent example
of active and multilateral cooperation, based on
friendship and mutual benefit.
The 1990’s marked a forced
parenthesis with the decline in economic cooperation,
as a result of the historic circumstances, but today
that stage has been overcome, and relations are
based on equality of rights and mutual benefit, or
rather, there exists a strategic alliance to the
benefit for both countries.
Kamynin concluded his dialogue by
recalling the creation of the solidarity
organizations (Russian-Cuban and Cuban-Russian)
between the countries, founded by cosmonaut Yuri
Gagarin and revolutionary leader Ernesto Che
Guevara, both of whom "Promote the spirit of
friendship and fraternity between the peoples of our
two countries."
In different international courts
the Russian government has expressed its position in
opposition to the economic, commercial and financial
blockage imposed by the United States on Cuba, and
has demanded the immediate release of Gerardo
Hernández, Ramón Labañino and Antonio Guerrero, the
remaining three of five Cuban anti-terrorists
unjustly incarcerated in U.S. prisons, whose two
brothers in the cause - René González and Fernando
González - have already completed their full
sentences. In Russia there are three friendship
societies, 32 affiliated groups and 30 independent
organizations working in support of the Cuban
Revolution, as well as 26 committees calling for the
freedom of the Cuban Five. Resolutions in opposition
to the unjust economic blockade and in support of
the Cuban Five have been unanimously approved in the
Russian parliament.
Thus, Mikhaíl Kamynin´s final words
to Granma International were, "Solidarity is
a genuine undertaking, an excellent way to continue
working together on common interests, to the benefit
of both countries."
