During the eighth session of the intergovernmental commission, Cabrisas expressed his hope that Transport Minister Igor Levitin, as President of the commission from the part of Russia, contributes to the development of bilateral relations.

Likewise, he reaffirmed the progress of relations, to the margin of difficulties necessary to face in order to initiate a new stage with the visit of Foreign Affairs Minister Serguei Lavrov in 2004 and of Prime Minister Mijail Fradkov in 2006.

The signing of agreements at that time in several areas, including the normalization of the debt issue, allowed reactivating cooperation of both countries, he indicated.

The minister favored the signing of a final act of the commission on Wednesday, which allows for intensive work on both parts and becomes a true instrument of work.

We are conscious of the need of concerted efforts in order to ensure our country develops, in the middle of adversities of the economic blockade imposed by Washington almost half a century ago, which has already cost to Cuba 89 billion dollars, he pointed out.

Cabrisas stressed the signing of agreements in the area of transportation in July 2007 and a wide Russian representation at Havana Fair on November, as examples of the progress of relations between both states.

Levitin affirmed that the way for searching new mechanisms to promote development between the two nations was already surpassed and the interest of Russian companies in Cuba is evident with this visit.

The Russian Minister thanked those who contribute with the progress of relations between Moscow and Havana and recalled that Cuba occupied the sixth place in the trade of Russia with Latin America.

(PL)