Why Will Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Visit Cuba? These are His Purposes

Recently, official sources confirmed the reasons for the upcoming visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Cuba.

According to Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lavrov is expected to be on the island on February 19 and during his stay, he will hold talks with the island’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and his counterpart, Bruno Rodríguez.

The agenda includes dialogue on various issues related to cooperation between the two nations, as well as on the global agenda and in the region.

Strengthening political dialogue through the Russian-Cuban partnership seems to be one of the driving forces of the meeting, which will also serve as a stage to propose alliances in other areas.

The conversations will focus on the key aspects of further strengthening the Russian-Cuban strategic partnership based on deepening political dialogue and building links in the economic and commercial, financial and investment, scientific and technical, cultural, and humanitarian areas.

Statements about the Russian Foreign Minister’s visit suggest that new agreements could be established to consolidate sectors such as tourism, in which Russia has already made its mark on the island, aiming to become the largest issuer of tourism to the country.

The Russian presence in Cuba is also evident in other branches such as firefighter training and the boost in the Cuban sugar harvest 2023-2024, to cite just a few examples.

Beyond economic alliances, political ones are envisioned, as actions could be interpreted as a frank demonstration of strength against the United States, declared antagonist of both nations.

The next day, February 20, Lavrov will meet with the main political figures of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, including its president, Nicolás Maduro.