Russia says will continue providing humanitarian assistance to Cuba

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Cuba, which is reeling under US sanctions for decades, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla in Moscow, Lavrov said Russia’s assistance will continue in connection with the “sharply negative effects” of the embargo imposed by the US on the island country.

Lavrov said Russia supports the exclusion of Cuba from Washington’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, describing the situation as an “absolute anomaly.”

“This is an absolute anomaly when a state includes Cuba on the list of sponsors of terrorism, and at the same time this state itself, the United States, together with its satellites, is trying to maintain the elusive hegemony in world affairs by methods of outright terror,” he added.

The foreign minister said Moscow is grateful for Cuba’s “principled position” on Ukraine war, which started in February 2022, adding that Havana has been giving the “correct reasons” behind the start of the conflict and “what has been prepared by the West for many years.”

Russia is grateful to Cuba for “promoting this objective and consistent line in various forums, including within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement,” Lavrov said.

He added that Moscow and Havana will continue to fight for the formation of a fair polycentric order and “ensure that neo-colonial practices remain a thing of the past forever.”

Parrilla arrived in Russia on Monday to attend a two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in the city of Nizhny Novgorod.

The meeting marked the first gathering since the group expanded from five members to nine in January with the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as official members.

Another 15 countries, including Türkiye, were also invited to the expanded format of the meeting.​​​​​​​