Díaz-Canel receives Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (+ video) ›Cuba › Granma

The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, had a meeting with His Excellency Mr. Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, who is visiting Cuba.

During the meeting, the Cuban president highlighted the excellent state of relations between the two countries, emphasizing the will to promote the high level of political dialogue and exchanges in sectors of common interest, including the parliamentary sphere. He thanked the resolution against the blockade imposed by the United States on the island, which is issued annually by the State Duma, as well as the humanitarian aid received by the Union to mitigate the effects of the epidemic.

The Cuban President expressed his solidarity with the Russian Federation in the face of the imposition of sanctions and the expansion of NATO towards its borders.

For his part, Vyacheslav Volodin endorsed the State Duma’s support for strengthening bilateral relations, stressed his condemnation of the US policy towards our country, and emphasized the will to further strengthen exchanges at all levels.

The distinguished visitor was accompanied by Anna Kuzenkova, Chargé d’Affairs at the Russian Embassy in Cuba. Melnikov, First Deputy Speaker of the State Duma; Andrei F. Kartabalov, Chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma; Olga F. Timofeeva, Chairman of the State Duma Committee for the Development of Civil Society, Affairs of Social and Religious Associations, and Alexander V. Steinen, Director of the Latin American Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Among those present on the Cuban side was Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla. Anna Maria Marie Machado, Vice-President of the National Assembly of People’s Power; Brigadier General Arnaldo Tamayo Mendes, President of the Cuban-Russia Parliamentary Friendship Group; Yolanda Ferrer Gómez, Chair of the International Relations Committee of the National Assembly of People’s Power, and Emilio Lozada García, Director General of Bilateral Affairs at MINRIX.