Cuba wants more Russian business

In a blast from the past of the cold war era, Moscow and Havana are renewing bilateral ties. But it's business not politics that is the driving force this time around.

Cuba wants Russian business to help in the economic development of the island, the vice president of Cuba’s Council of Ministers Ricardo Cabrisas told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

"I see clear perspectives: there’s a will and determination from the Russian side and Cuba is responding. We need Russia's participation in the economic development of Cuba," he said.

"We recently took the first steps in Russian participation in the very important areas - energy and metallurgy. These are two fundamental areas for economic and social development of the country,” added Cabrisas.

On November 2, Cabrisas held a meeting with Deputy Russian Industry and Trade Minister Georgy Kalamanov and Russian First Deputy Minister of Economic Development Aleksey Likhachev on the sidelines of the Havana International Trade Fair, a commercial forum in Cuba and the Caribbean.

Moscow and Havana are currently cooperating in civil aviation and energy. Russia is also revamping Cuba's power plants. In October, the Kremlin ratified an agreement to provide generators at the Maximo Gomes and Este Habana power plants in Cuba.

According to the Russian government website, the Maximo Gomes power plant in Mariel municipality will be equipped with a 200 MW unit, while Este Habana in Santa Cruz del Norte municipality will have three 200 MW generators installed.