Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Cuba on Wednesday night, on the last leg of his first tour of Latin America, as part of Tehran’s efforts to strengthen ties with three countries in the region that it considers allies in the midst of from a context of friction with Washington.
Raisi was received by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez at the José Martí airport in Havana, where he arrived several hours late from Nicaragua.
Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela maintain longstanding frictions with Washington and face severe sanctions from the United States.
The Iranian ruler visits the island at the invitation of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, with whom he plans to meet at the Palace of the Revolution.
Raisi began his Latin American tour on Monday in Venezuela and continued it on Tuesday in Nicaragua. In both countries, she met with the presidents Nicolás Maduro, from Venezuela, and Daniel Ortega, from Nicaragua.
The Iranian delegation signed cooperation agreements in various areas in Venezuela and Nicaragua and will do the same in Cuba, where Raisi will conclude his tour this Thursday, according to local authorities.
On his previous stops, the Iranian president received support and sympathy for his questions and criticisms of the United States, which he considered a “common enemy” shared with his Latin American partners.
Before leaving Managua for Havana, Raisi met with the Nicaraguan National Assembly and was bid farewell by Ortega and Nicaraguan First Lady Rosario Murillo.
After two days in Nicaragua, he announced the signing of three cooperation memoranda and the creation of a binational mixed commission that will develop the agreements reached. In Venezuela, the Raisi delegation signed various cooperation agreements.
The Iranian president received support and sympathy in both countries for his questions and criticisms of the United States, which he considered a “common enemy” shared with his Latin American partners.
The agreements with Nicaragua include collaboration in judicial matters, exchange and commercial and economic cooperation, and in technological and scientific areas. The export of technical and engineering services from Iran to the Central American country and cooperation in health and pharmaceutical support are other sectors included, Raisi said.
On the island, Raisi is expected to sign agreements this Thursday, although their content has not yet been specified. The Iranian delegation will attend a business forum and Raisi to protocol tributes.
In the case of Cuba, the embargo lasts for more than six decades and seeks to put pressure on the Caribbean nation to achieve a change in its political model.
Iran and Cuba also have a history of relations in technological matters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the island received support in the development of clinical studies to achieve the Soberana 02 vaccine, the only Latin American vaccine against this virus.
Within the framework of US sanctions and a deep economic crisis, Cuba has deepened its alliance with other countries at odds with Washington, such as Russia, in recent months.
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