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Russian President said that the sides were looking at a project for the creation of a transport hub in Cuba and modernization of the Mariel seaport.


Russia and Cuba are creating new conditions for the development of bilateral relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday after his talks with Cuban President Raul Castro.

“We spoke about development of trade-and-economic ties,” Putin said, adding that the conversation also focused on new projects, such as contracts signed by Russia’s Zarubezhneft, Rosneft and Interao with their Cuban partners. For example, the latter’s project for the construction of four heat plant units was estimated at 1.2 billion euro, the Russian leader noted.

Putin also said that the sides were looking at a project for the creation of a transport hub in Cuba and modernization of the Mariel seaport.

Apart from that, “Russia is interested in placing GLONASS ground stations in Cuba,” Putin said, adding that other promising areas of cooperation included medicine and pharmaceuticals.

He praised the work of the intergovernmental commission and bilateral business councils. The next meeting of the Russian-Cuban intergovernmental commission is scheduled for this autumn.

At the Managua airport, he was welcomed by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.


Russian President Vladimir Putin has changed the schedule of his Latin American tour and arrived in Nicaragua for a brief working visit.

On his way from Cuba to Argentina on Saturday, the Russian leader decided to make a stopover in Managua, where he had been officially invited earlier.

At the Managua airport, he was welcomed by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

‘Much is yet to be done to develop our relations, especially in the area of economy, but we have good base for that,” Putin said, adding that Russia and Nicaragua had long-standing good relations. “We admire out personal courage and the courage of your people,” he told Ortega.

The Russian leader reminded that the year 2014 is a jubilee one for Russia and Nicaragua, which established diplomatic relations 70 years ago.

The Nicaraguan leader called Putin’s visit to his country a historic event. “This is the first-ever visit by the Russian president to Nicaragua, and we are very happy to welcome you here,” he said.

Ortega reassured Putin that Nicaragua supported Russia’s peace efforts. “We are ready to take part in Russia’s initiatives in maintaining peace in the entire planet and in its regions,” he said. “Conflict settlement lies not in bombing but in reasonable approaches. The most vitak thing is to lend an ear to the will of the people.”

The Russian delegation to the talks included Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russian president’s aide Yuri Ushakov, and CEO of Russia’s oil major Rosneft, Igor Sechin.

Nicaragua’s delegation included Nicaraguan president’s envoy for trade-and economic and investment cooperation with Russia Laureano Ortega, Deputy Foreign Minister Valdrak Jaentschek, who is a co-chairman of the Russian-Nicaraguan intergovernmental commission on economic and research-technicalcooperation, Commander-in-Cgief of the Nicaraguan Army Julio Cesar Aviles, and President of the energy company Enatrel Salvador Mansell.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend on July 13 the final match of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he will also receive the baton of the hosting nations for the next global football championship to be held in Russia in 2018, a presidential aide said on Friday.

“The president will attend the final match on July 13,” Yuri Ushakov said. “The visit owes to Russia’s organization of the next World Cup.”

Ushakov added that following the final match of the 2014 World Cup, running on June 12-July 13, a special ceremony would be held to pass on the relay of the hosting nations to Russia.

Sepp Blatter, the president of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), earlier stated that he was waiting for President Putin in Brazil to pass him over the baton of the World Cup’s nation and that he also intended to pay a visit to Russia in September to monitor the preparation work for the championship in 2018.

Russia won the bid to host the 2018 World Cup over three years ago in a tight race against the joint bid from England, Portugal and Spain and the joint bid on behalf of Belgium and the Netherlands.

Following an official ceremony held in September 2012 and attended by Blatter, Russia eventually selected 11 out of the earlier proposed 13 cities, excluding Krasnodar and Yaroslavl. The final list of the 2018 World Cup host cities includes Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.

Being rumored to be the highest paid national coach in the world, Italian phenomenon Fabio Capello managed to help the Russian national team to qualify for the current World Cup in Brazil. He celebrated his 68th birthday during the Russia vs. South Korea match on Tuesday, when the game ended with 1-1 draw.

Capello’s squad will next face Russia’s Group H old-time rivals Belgium, which on Tuesday defeated Algeria 2-1 at the Belo Horizonte Stadium. Russia’s game against Algeria is scheduled for June 26.

On the eve of the Russian team’s match against South Korea, the Russian state-run pollster WCIOM provided data showing that 25% of Russians believed that the country’s national football team would battle through to the final match of the 2014 World Cup. 7% said the team would fail to clear the group stage.

Against the background of growing tension in relations with the United States and European Union, the Kremlin attaches special importance to these contacts.


Russian President Vladimir Putin late on Thursday after a regular meeting with the government will depart for the largest tour since the beginning of his third presidential term. The Kremlin reported that he plans to visit three countries of the South American continent: Cuba, Argentina and Brazil.

The Russian head of state is accustomed to long-distance and rather hard trips. In a major tour of Russia in 2010 the president visited within 10 days Tiksi, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Khabarovsk, Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk and during four days was driving a yellow Lada-Kalina car from Khabarovsk to Chita.

The current foreign trip that will last for exactly a week is similar in distance and time. In the air alone, Putin will have to spend about two days, exactly 46 hours.

During this time the Russian leader will cover quite a considerable distance. The distance from Moscow to Havana, where on July 11 the presidential program will be started, is 9580 kilometres - 12 hours and 30 minutes of flight. The distance from Havana to Buenos Aires is 6883 kilometres - nine hours of flight. After visiting the Argentine capital, Putin will depart for Brazil where he will spend four busy working days. The distance from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro is 1982 kilometres (three hours), from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia - 930 kilometres (1 hour and 30 minutes), from the Brazilian capital to Fortaleza - 2525 kilometres (two hours and 30 minutes). Due to the peculiarities of his programme, the president will have to cover the last distance twice.

The flight back from Brasilia to Moscow will take about 15 hours. During this time the president will fly 11170 kilometres. As a result, the total distance of the trip will be 35600 kilometres.

It is not the first visit to Latin America for Putin. On November 22, 2004, the Russian leader had for the first time visited Brazil at the invitation of its President then Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He also met the Cuban and Argentine leaders more than once. Against the background of growing tension in relations with the United States and European Union, the Kremlin attaches special importance to these contacts. Russia is interested in deepening its traditionally friendly ties with South America, to which testify dozens of documents on co-operation in various spheres ranging from military-technical and energy co-operation to culture and healthcare that have been prepared for signing during the forthcoming visit.

Putin will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro and leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro on July 11.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has signed a law on the ratification of the agreement that will see Moscow write off 90% of cash-strapped Cuba’s $35.2 billion debt to Russia, the Kremlin press service says.

Russia will write off 90% of that debt and the remaining 10% ($3.5 billion) will be paid over the next 10 years in equal instalments every six months. Cuba's first instalment is scheduled for October 25, 2014, and the final payment will be made April 25, 2024.

The funds are to be transferred to Russia’s state development bank Vnesheconombank's (VEB) account at the National Bank of Cuba. They will be used to finance investment projects in Cuba. Russia’s companies, Zarubezhneft and Inter RAO UES, show interest in the implementation of these projects.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on July 10 that Putin would visit Cuba during the Latin America tour. Putin will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro and leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro. Dozens of documents are expected to be signed on the results of the talks.

The signing ceremony was held in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro.


Russia and Cuba have signed a package of cooperation documents. The signing ceremony was held on Friday in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro after their talks.

The documents included a bilateral statement on non-placement of weapons in outer space and an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the area of international information security.

Apart from that, the sides signed a number of memorandums, including a memorandum of cooperation between the two countries’ ministries of culture; a memorandum of cooperation between the two countries’ ministries of industry and trade; a memorandum of cooperation between the two countries’ ministries of health in the area of protection of men’s health; a memorandum on the development of a special centre for training fire fighters and rescuers.

The sides also signed a number of documents on practical cooperation. Thus, Russia’s oil major Rosneft and Cuba’s state oil company Cupet signed an agreement on cooperation in the area of increasing production at mature oil fields. The document provides for joint efforts on comprehensive survey at oil fields and wells in Cuba to outline possibilities for the optimization of oil production, increasing efficiency and works to be done to boost reservoir recovery.

Russia’s energy company Inter RAO Export and Cuba's Union Electrica signed a contract for the construction of four 200 megawatt units for the Maximo Gomez power plant. Apart from that, the Russian company signed a memorandum on the production and use of LED-based devices with the electronics group of the Cuban ministry of industry and trade.

Another Russian company, RusHydro, and Cuba’s Union Electrica signed a memorandum of understanding.

Ahead of his visit to Brazil, Russia's President Vladimir Putin gave an interview to ITAR-TASS about the state and prospects of the relations between Russia and Brazil.

- How do you assess the status and prospects of the strategic partnership between Russia and Brazil? What key issues and specific proposals are you planning to discuss in Brasilia?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: Our bilateral cooperation is of strategic importance, as Brazil is a responsible member of the international community whose political influence is steadily increasing; it is also the largest country in Latin America and one of the leading economies in the world.  It is enough to mention its active participation in BRICS, the G20 and a number of Latin American regional organisations (CELAC, MERCOSUR, UNASUR).

We support Brazil as a deserving and strong candidate for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. I am sure that this powerful and fast-developing country is destined to play an important role in the emerging polycentric world order.

I want to emphasize that Brazil is one of Russia's key partners in Latin America. We have long-standing relations of friendship, mutual respect and trust. We are actively developing political dialogue, defense, scientific, technological and humanitarian cooperation, as well as economic and investment ties.

Over the last ten years, bilateral trade has grown almost three-fold and reached $5.5 billion in 2013. Our companies maintain close contacts through the Brazil-Russia Business Council. The citizens of our countries no longer need visas to travel. Dozens of Russia's best universities that joined Brazilian educational program Science without Borders are ready to welcome students from Brazil. Cultural exchanges have become a regular practice.

During the visit, we want to discuss areas for further developing cooperation and to outline new joint projects in energy, investment, innovation, agriculture, science and technology. We plan to sign a large package of documents relating to a variety of industries, including between specialised agencies, public and private companies, and research and educational institutions.


- The current level of economic and trade relations between Russia and Brazil is far below the potential that has been proclaimed by the countries' leaders. What steps do you consider necessary to accelerate the realization of this potential? What are the obstacles that slow us down and prevent us from taking bilateral trade to a completely new level?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: Indeed, despite the good results achieved, there is still an untapped potential in trade and economic cooperation with Brazil. Moreover, there was a decrease in bilateral trade (3.3% in 2013), caused by global economic instability. In order to address the situation we need to diversify our trade ties by increasing the share of high-tech products and engineering goods, as well as by developing cooperation in aviation, energy and agriculture.

Russian companies are interested in the Brazilian market. Our countries' businesses have launched a number of successful investment projects in energy, engineering and pharmaceutical industries. For example, Russia’s Rosneft and the Brazilian HRT oil and gas company are jointly exploring and producing hydrocarbons in the Solimões river basin. In the state of Santa Catarina, the Power Machines corporation is setting up production of hydro turbines of up to 100 MW for their subsequent delivery to the markets of Brazil and other MERCOSUR countries. BIOCAD is developing a research, education and training center in Brazil, designed to produce modern innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer.

I am sure that such projects will help bring our bilateral trade and economic cooperation to a more mature level, which meets the current and future capabilities of our developing countries.


- Brazil will pass the baton of hosting a world football championship to Russia. Are you following the FIFA World Cup? Which part of Brazil's experience in preparing and hosting the event has attracted your attention and can be taken on board while organizing the 2018 World Cup?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: I try to follow the World Cup as far as my work schedule allows. The Latin American countries’ teams have put on a display of football that has real flare and talent. Unfortunately, our team did not leave the group, but, in my opinion, they tried their best.

At the invitation of Brazil and FIFA Presidents, I am going to visit the final match of the Championship to attend the ceremony of passing the baton from Brazil to Russia. In 2018, Russia will host this most popular global sporting event for the first time in its history.

In February-March, we successfully hosted the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi and know exactly what a challenge it is to organise such a huge event. We are analysing Brazil’s experience very carefully. Your country is yet to host the Olympic Games in 2016. Representatives of several ministries and organisations, including the Ministry of Sports and the Russia-2018 Organizing Committee, are in constant contact with Brazilian colleagues. They have already visited Brazil and I am sure they will go there again more than once.

It is worth noting that Russia plans to take the FIFA World Cup a step further in some areas. For example, we passed a federal law establishing a special visa regime for foreigners who help organise the 2018 Championship, and enabling not only the official participants, such as the athletes, referees, coaches and others, but also the fans to visit Russia without visas right before and during the competition. The history of football championships has never seen anything like this before.

I am sure that the World Cup in Brazil will be a bright page in the history of football. I wish the Brazilian organizers every success in completing it. As for us, in 2018, we will do everything possible to give the world an unforgettable football celebration and show genuine Russian hospitality.


- How much attention will be paid during the talks in Latin America to the issues of the modern world order, which enables some players on the international arena to unilaterally claim significantly more extensive rights, including to spy even on those leaders that they call partners and to hack their phones?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: The 21st century world is globalized and interdependent. Therefore, no state or group of countries can unilaterally tackle major international problems and any attempts to build a separate “oasis of stability and security” are doomed to failure.

In order to meet numerous challenges and threats we have to stop trying to impose development models on other countries. This approach has repeatedly proven its ineffectiveness. It does not just fail to facilitate conflict resolution, but leads to instability and chaos in international affairs.

Today, it is especially important to consolidate the international community’s efforts to ensure equal and indivisible security, as well as to resolve disputes trough the application of international law and with the central coordinating role of the UN.

As for the facts of cyber espionage that you mentioned, it not only amounts to overt hypocrisy in relationships between allies and partners, but also a direct violation of the state's sovereignty, an infringement on human rights and an invasion of privacy. We are looking forward to jointly developing an international information security system.