Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 6 October (BelTA) – Belarus and Cuba need to intensify cooperation in pharmaceutical manufacturing. The matter was discussed at a meeting between Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Cuba to Belarus Gerardo Suarez Alvarez, BelTA has learned.

According to Mikhail Myasnikovich, Belarus and Cuba have an untapped potential in part of setting up joint pharmaceutical manufacturing companies. “Here, we have a lot of unaddressed issues which need our utmost attention in order to intensify cooperation in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector,” he said. Cuban biopharmaceuticals, ready-made medications and substances are of interest for the EAEU market where Cuba, thanks to cooperation with Belarus, can develop its trade.

The speaker believes that Belarus and Cuba also need to intensify sci-tech cooperation, interaction in education programs, training of the scientific personnel. Tourism is another promising niche for bilateral cooperation.

The chairman of the Council of the Republic added that Belarus is interested in developing trade relations with Cuba, supporting them, including with the help of modern financial mechanisms. The speaker added that the Finance Ministry of Cuba and the Development Bank of Belarus had made decisions that would help the implementation of contracts on the supply of Belarusian MAZ trucks and agricultural machinery to Cuba.

Describing the Belarusian-Cuban relations in general, Mikhail Myasnikovich noted that they have been steadily developing and expanding with new projects. He expressed confidence that they bilateral relations will continue developing. "For this, there is the political will and a good foundation in economic, scientific, technical, military contacts, educational programs across the whole spectrum of bilateral and multilateral cooperation," he stressed.

The meeting at the Council of the Republic was held on the occasion of the completion of the diplomatic mission of Gerardo Suarez Alvarez. The ambassador, in turn, noted that Belarus is a strategic partner for Cuba. He also expressed confidence in the successful development of relations between the two states. The parties thanked each other for the fruitful cooperation that contributed to the strengthening of contacts in various fields.