Meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Minister, friends,

It is a great pleasure to meet with you in Moscow, not only in your capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs but also as a special envoy of the President. Please convey my best wishes to the President of Cuba and Army General Castro.

Relations between our countries are special and have been forged through history. We have always stood by Cuba in its struggle for independence, for the right to pursue its own path of development, and we have consistently supported the Cuban people. We understand the immense challenges that the Cuban people have faced over the years, over the decades - indeed, throughout the decades of Cuba's independence - in their fight for the right to live by their own rules and to defend their national interests.

We are now witnessing a particular period marked by new sanctions. You know our stance on this - we reject such measures outright. The position of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is clear, unequivocal, and has been articulated openly.

As for bilateral relations, they are developing, on the whole, along a positive trajectory, and I am confident that today we will have the opportunity to discuss all these matters in detail.

I am very glad to see you. Welcome!

Incidentally, this year we will mark the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth, and we will do so together.

To be continued.