Cabrisas (L) and Turkish Vice-President Cevdet Yilmaz held a dialogue on March 12 in
Ankara, on bilateral ties. Photo taken from Prensa Latina

By María Josefina Arce 

Cuba and Türkiye have taken a new step in strengthening their bilateral ties, which received a significant boost with the historic visit to that nation by Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel in November 2022.

On that occasion, the willingness of the two countries to continue expanding their cooperation in strategic areas such as biotechnology, renewable energy, tourism, agriculture and health was ratified.

Now the Cuban Deputy Prime Minister, Ricardo Cabrisas completed a two-day visit, during which he signed with the authorities the agreement that establishes the Road Map for Economic-Commercial Cooperation until 2026, at a time when relations continue to expand and new opportunities are being explored.

In the last year, Turkish authorities reported, the bilateral trade exchange grew by 60%, reaching 81 million dollars, while the interest in the Cuban market of the entrepreneurs of that country is evident, which extends to Europe and Asia.

 The agreement, signed in Ankara, the capital, includes 41 points covering areas such as trade, investment, technical cooperation, transport and medicine, among others.

Cuba and Türkiye have maintained a positive and fruitful relationship for years. The Turkish Agency for Cooperation and Coordination has supported projects in Cuba associated with agricultural development.

In addition, agreements have been signed in the educational, maritime and biotechnology sectors. In fact, the Cuban medicine HEBERPROT-P for diabetic foot ulcers, the only one of its kind in the world and internationally recognized for its efficacy, has been present in that nation for 10 years.

The citizens of that Eurasian territory have been able to benefit from this flagship product of Cuban biotechnology thanks to the joint work between the Turkish company HASBIOTECH and the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.

Ankara, for its part, has exported to the archipelago household and personal care products, as well as metals and food products.

Both nations are working to bring economic ties to the excellent level of political ones, a desire reiterated in meetings between the authorities of the two states.