The meeting took place as part of preparations for the 10th session of the Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation. During their discussion, the sides dealt with issues covering practically all facets of cultural and economic cooperation between Russia and Cuba, including finance, energy, automotive industry, civil aviation, tourism, biotechnology, healthcare, education, science, communications, as well as agriculture and fisheries.
Mr Sechin and Mr Cabrisas, who co-chair the Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission, have pointed to positive momentum in Russian-Cuban cooperation in these areas. Practically in all of them cooperation memoranda have been signed, establishing a legal framework for further joint contacts. On a directive of the Russian government, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation has drafted an agreement between the Russian and the Cuban government on mutual recognition and equivalence of documents on education and academic degrees. The agreement is expected to be signed in the first six months of this year. There have been exchanges in teaching personnel, educational curricula have been drawn up with Russian help, and the quota for Cuban students in Russian colleges and universities has been increased.
The high pace of cooperation is confirmed by progress in trade turnover: In the first eleven months of 2009 it rose by 36.1% year-on-year to reach $325.2 million. Russian exports accounted for 64.2%.