HAVANA, May 18. /TASS/. Trade between Russia and Cuba tripled to $452 million in 2022, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said on Thursday.

"Cuba is our key partner and reliable ally in the Latin American and Caribbean region. We value the special nature of Russian-Cuban relations that are based on the principles of friendship, mutual respect, and not subject to external circumstances," he said, opening the meeting of the intergovernmental Russian-Cuban commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation.

According to the deputy prime minister, the favorable political background creates the necessary conditions for the development of trade, investment growth, and cultural and humanitarian interaction between the two countries.

"Trade tripled to $452 million in 2022, and it increased ninefold to $137.6 million in the first four months of 2023, compared with the same period of last year," Chernyshenko said.