Baku, Havana eye expanded cooperation

By Azernews

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijan and Cuba may expand their cooperation in a number of fields, said Alfredo Nieves Portuondo, Cuba’s newly-appointed ambassador to Baku.

The ambassador told Trend that the Caribbean island nation is open to any cooperation with Azerbaijan, saying that our countries have developed good relations at bilateral and international levels.

The ambassador underlined that the issue of trade-economic development between the countries, and existing perspectives were high on agenda during his meetings with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.  

Talking about the priorities of his future activities, the diplomat noted that the main attention will be paid to the development of Azerbaijan-Cuba economic cooperation and to taking it to the political level.

"I will aim efforts at the promotion of Azerbaijan in Latin America. The Cuban government expresses interest in the developing of cooperation with Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan is also interested in this," the ambassador said.

As for the spheres for cooperation the envoy said that energy, healthcare and biotechnology and humanitarian sphere could be among the priority areas of the interstate cooperation.

He mentioned that Cuba possesses undiscovered oil fields in the Cuban part of a shelf in the Gulf of Mexico, and Azerbaijani companies could show interest for participation in their exploration and further development.

The ambassador added that Azerbaijani companies specializing in the energy sector can participate in energy projects in Cuba, both independently and as part of an international consortium.

Cuba is also interested in reviving the old traditions of education and training in universities of Azerbaijan, including preparing experts in the energy sector.

Mentioning that Cuba has great success in the production of the newest medicines and biotechnologies, he said that the country is ready to offer its medical services and supply its products to Azerbaijan.

 He added that the country renders medical services to the countries of Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Russia and other CIS.

The diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Cuba were established on March 27, 1992. Eight documents covering various fields have been signed since then.