Rome, Wednesday, June 17, 2020. The concurrent Ambassador of Cuba to the Republic of Malta, José Carlos Rodríguez Ruiz, held a video conference meetingthis morning with the Maltese Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Evarist Bartolo.
During the cordial meeting, both referred to the experiences of their respective countries in the fight to COVID19, as well as the impact of the aforementioned pandemic in both countries.
The Maltese Foreign Minister recognized the health aid that Cuba has provided in solidarity to combat this pandemic, by sending medical brigades to dozens of countries, including Europe, as in the case of Italy.
The Cuban Ambassador explained that this is a concrete contribution of Cuba to a global challenge that has affected millions of human beings, regardless of borders. It is, he added, a duty that we assume in full correspondence with the practice and principles of international medical cooperation that Cuba has been offering for almost 60 years to dozens of countries on all continents.
The Cuban diplomat highlighted how the use of innovative medicines produced by the Cuban biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry has been one of the key factors for reaching a very positive impact on the fight to COVID 19 in his country.
Both parts ratified the will to give greater content to the bilateral ties between Malta and Cuba. They exchanged ideas on some specific sectors that could be of mutual interest, and in which some steps have begun to be taken, such as those of the biopharmaceuticalindustry, and the health and cultural areas.
They also confirmed the importance of implementing the mechanism on bilateral political consultations established in 2019 byCuban and Maltese Foreign Ministries, with the aim of developing bilateral exchanges on political, economic, cultural, scientific, technical and humanitarian issues.
The Cuban Ambassador explained theongoing process of updating the socioeconomic model of Cuba, and the increasingly favorable climate that exists in the country for foreign investment and joint ventures.
Foreign Minister Bartolo and Ambassador Rodríguez agreed on the importance of bilateral cooperation and the active role of both countries in international organizations, as a contribution to the most effective confrontation of global challenges, such as that of COVID19. In the multilateral context, they mutually recognized the positive exchangesof reciprocal support between the two countries.
Likewise, the Maltese Foreign Minister and the Cuban Ambassador ratified the adherence of the foreign policy of their respective countries, to the principles of International Law and the respect for the sovereignty, and right of each people to democratically determine their own destiny.
They addressed the issue of the economic, commercial and financial blockade that the United States has maintained against the people of Cuba for 60 years, and that the current US government has been reinforcing in a ruthless and inhuman way, in a flagrant violation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and International Law. The Republic of Malta has maintained a firm rejection of the US blockade against Cuba, within the framework of the United Nations.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the small Mediterranean state, Evarist Bartolo, and the Ambassador of the Caribbean archipelago, José Carlos Rodríguez Ruiz, were in favor of continuing this dialogue as soon as possible.
(@EmbaCubaItalia)
