This is what the man in charge of economic relations with Cuba by the Russian government is Dmitry Chernyshenko. Deputy prime minister in the Russian cabinet and formerly a prominent businessman linked to transportation, tourism, fuel, and even sports. The latter of which is inferred at first glance from his athletic demeanor.
Upon leaving the official Russia-Cuba talks, which took place in the Kremlin on May 7th, led by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez. Chernyshenko agreed to speak to the Cuban press.
Neither his time nor circumstances permitted an interview. Without a Russian translator at hand, we had to resort to the language of our adversary (Chernyshenko is one of the Russian officials “sanctioned” by the West) and settle for the brevity of one and a half questions and the corresponding answers. In summary, this is what he told us:
Q: What is your message to the Cuban people?
What good news can you give them about what was discussed there?
A: First of all, I want to express my great respect for all the people of Cuba. Cuba is in our hearts. I must say that at this historic moment, we have reached an astonishing level of cooperation and understanding. It is the result of constant, hard work by both sides over the past eight years.
I want to congratulate our countries on the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the 65th anniversary of the reestablishment of our relations. I also want to express my immense gratitude to my colleague and friend (Ricardo) Cabrisas. Who has done much in recent decades for Cuba-Russia relations.
I want to emphasize that we have created a modern system that offers opportunities for Russian businesses and helps the Cuban economy. Cuba is a reliable partner, with the capacity to repay the state loans and projects contracted in recent years. We have a special document recently signed, in 2023, called Plan 2030.
Under this Plan, Russian companies and businesspeople have expressed their willingness and confirmed their readiness to invest more than $1 billion in the Cuban economy. I am pleased to inform you that at the meeting that just concluded, our President confirmed that we will use a special mechanism to subsidize interest rates for our business community to finance projects so they can invest in the Cuban economy in the areas most needed by Cuba. Primarily the supply of electricity, agriculture, lighting, among others.
We hope this will contribute to attracting more Russian businesspeople to Cuba soon, which will help its economy become independent and achieve sovereignty in every sense. A special area of our cooperation is tourism, which is logical given the natural conditions and the beauty of its beaches.
Russian tourists can visit Cuba year-round, and we aim to become the country with the largest presence of tourists in the Cuban market. Cuba will soon participate in a tourism event in Moscow in July. Where it will be able to introduce and showcase its beauty and products to Russian tourists.
Russian tourists are of interest in business terms because they are willing to spend their money when they go on vacation. Which will have an impact on the Cuban economy.
Q: And now, in the immediate future, will we see the effect of these agreements?
A: There is still hard work to be done, little by little. It is impossible to achieve things immediately, by magic; you have to work hard. We want to create all the tools and opportunities so that you can achieve your independence in every sense. We do not think nor do we intend to take over the Cuban market. President Putin’s sole objective is to support the Cuban people.
With information from Arleen Rodríguez Derivet and Alejandro Azcuy Domínguez
Translated by Aliani Rojas Fernández
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