Havana, 16 June 2023 (TDI): Following his visits to Venezuela and Nicaragua, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi concluded his three-nation tour of Latin America with a visit to Cuba.
His strategic tour was focused on strengthening Iran’s alliances with the key nations in the region affected by US sanctions.
President Raisi met with his Cuban counterpart, Miguel Diaz-Canel, at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana on June 15. The two leaders explored various ways and means to foster their bilateral relations.
Fostering bilateral relations between Cuba and Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed in a Twitter post that the two countries are the pioneers of boosting collaborations in their respective regions.
Moreover, the presence of the two countries in these coalitions on both sides of the globe will strengthen their political power. “The focus of cooperation is in the fields of biotechnology, technology, medicine, and energy,” he added.
In the presence of both presidents, a signing ceremony of the bilateral cooperation documents was held between Iran and Cuba. The foreign ministers of the two countries signed six cooperation documents and a memorandum of understanding during the ceremony.
Cooperation in the fields of biotechnology and nanotechnology
President Raisi also attended the meeting of Iranian and Cuban businesspeople. He expressed that the Joint Economic Commissions of Iran and Cuba should cooperate in nanotechnology, biotechnology, mining, and power plant construction.
He stressed the strategic collaborations in sustainable fields between both countries. President Raisi added, “I hope this meeting will help facilitate integration as well as an exchange of ideas and opinions.”
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Furthermore, the two presidents decided to collaborate to gain proficiency in the fields of nanotechnology and biotechnology. For this purpose, both sides agreed to form a joint commission on technological cooperation to mutually advance in these fields.
President Raisi visited the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB )and the vaccine production line in Havana. This visit depicted the Iranian interest in cooperating with Cuba in the field of biotechnology. He also praised Cuba’s research and capabilities in the field of biotechnology.
A shift toward multilateralism
The Iranian President also met with the former President of Cuba, Raul Castro, during his visit to Cuba. President Raisi underscored that today’s Iran-Cuba political relations are at the highest level of cooperation. He emphasized that unity and a similar mindset among countries are necessary for countering global arrogance.
For his part, former President Raul Castro praised the Iranian struggle against international imperialism. He said that today the era of unilateralism is over and we are moving towards multilateralism.
