Turkey and Cuba Meet to Boost Bilateral Ties

Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu, arrived in Havana on Friday for an official visit with the goal of boosting bilateral relations between the two countries.

His arrival was met by President Esteban Lazo of the National Peoples’ Power Assembly (Parliament) of Cuba.

Cavusoglu will also meet Bruno Rodriguez, Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Rodriguez made an official visit to Turkey in 2017.

Cuba and Turkey have shared diplomatic relations for the last 67 years.

Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data for the last five years reports that bilateral trade volume between Turkey and Cuba rose by more than 50% to approximately $44 million last year.

Last year Turkey’s exports to Cuba totaled $32.4 million. Turkish imports from Cuba reached $11.6 million, according to TurkStat.

For Cuba, Turkey ranks 12th among export market countries.

The most recent events which took place between Turkey and Havana included the signing of the Action Plan of the Business Committee for the period 2019-2020, with the goal of boosting trade and investment levels.

BiocubaFarma and the Turkish Pharmacists Association have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at increasing collaboration between the two nations in the pharmaceutical industry.

In April, the Turkish company Karadeniz Holding sent a floating power plant known as a “power ship” to the Port of Mariel under a joint venture agreement with the Cuban entity, Energoimport.

Cuba and Turkey continue to develop bilateral relations.