MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov expressed solidarity with the government and people of Cuba during political consultations in Havana, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Russian diplomat held political consultations with Cuban First Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Penalver Portal and Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio in Havana on April 9. "Ryabkov was hosted by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva, and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez," the statement said.
"The Russian side expressed solidarity with the government and people of Cuba, condemned the US economic, trade, and financial blockade and energy embargo, and stressed the imperative of removing Cuba from the US State Department's list of so-called state sponsors of terrorism," the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
The ministry noted that the parties engaged in a thorough exchange on pressing bilateral, regional, and international matters during the contacts conducted in the spirit of Russian-Cuban allied relations and strategic partnership.
"The sides affirmed an identity of approaches on the overwhelming majority of key contemporary issues. Both countries voiced their unwavering stance regarding the unacceptability of unilateral coercive measures, interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states, and the use of force to displace 'undesirable' governments," the statement reads.
A just struggle
The Russian Foreign Ministry underscored Moscow's resolute commitment to supporting Cuba's fight to uphold its sovereignty: "Russia reaffirmed its strong determination to provide Cuba with necessary support <…> in its just struggle to defend sovereignty, and its commitment to steadily strengthening Russian-Cuban dialogue across all areas."