Havana: A new UAE diplomatic mission in Cuba was inaugurated during an official visit to the Caribbean island by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister.
The UAE and Cuba agreed to strengthen diplomatic ties and bilateral cooperation during the visit in which two agreements were signed and the new UAE Embassy in Havana was declared officially open.
“I am sure that the next few years will witness the prosperity of our ties,” Shaikh Abdullah said in a meeting with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez, with whom he signed an agreement on air services between and beyond the territories of the two nations, in order to facilitate the broadening of opportunities for international air transport.
The inauguration, Shaikh Abdullah said, further cemented ties established by the two countries in March 2002.
The UAE established diplomatic relations with Cuba in March 2002, in an accord signed in Cairo. The decision to open an embassy in the Cuban capital was reached in a June 2014 Cabinet meeting presided over by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
In May 2014, the UAE and Cuba signed an open skies agreement to allow the airlines of both countries to operate in each other’s territories, as well as opening the door to new plans for flights between the two countries, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority reported.
During the meeting, Rodriguez reaffirmed his government’s support for Arab peoples in their struggle to maintain their independence and territorial integrity.
According to official sources, the two foreign ministers concurred that the opening of the UAE embassy is an important step forward in bilateral ties and will permit closer follow-up of questions of mutual interest.
Shaikh Abdullah also met Miguel Diaz Canel, the First Vice-President of the Councils of State and Ministers. The two officials confirmed the good state of bilateral ties and the possibilities for cooperation on the economic, trade and financial fronts.
Rodrigo Malmierca, Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, signed a credit agreement with the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, to finance a solar energy farm that will generate 10MW of electricity.
“We have great confidence in Cuba’s leaders and in our capacity to carry out these kinds of projects,” Shaikh Abdullah told the local media.
