Turkiye, Cuba sign agreements to enhance cooperation

ANKARA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that his country wants to enhance cooperation with Cuba, and the two countries signed six agreements in the fields of media and communication, culture, and diplomacy.

At a joint press conference in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said that the historic visit of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel would be a new milestone in the Turkiye-Cuba relations.

"I attach importance to enhancing our cooperation and solidarity, particularly with Cuba, one of our primary partners in the region," he added.

The two leaders discussed ways to develop cooperation in fields such as energy, tourism, construction, agriculture, development, health, and the environment.

Erdogan said the U.S. embargo on Cuba hindered the development of Turkiye's trade with this country, but both sides want to increase the bilateral trade volume to 200 million U.S. dollars.

For his part, Diaz-Canel said that they observed a shared determination to develop political relations between the two countries and agreed to strengthen the exchanges by utilizing the available opportunities.

The Cuban leader stressed that the bilateral ties developed "on the basis of respect" throughout the history.