Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel began a tour of Algeria, Russia, Turkey, and China on Wednesday to bolster the island’s energy sector, which is suffering from prolonged power outages and recurring fuel shortages.
“We are once again crossing the Atlantic for an intense tour, during which we will address essential issues for our country, mainly related to the electricity and energy sectors”, indicated Mr. Diaz-Canel on his Twitter account shortly before his departure.
Since May, Cuba has been facing a severe energy crisis, which has led to prolonged power outages and frequent fuel shortages. This is a “tour of Algeria, Russia, Turkey, and China, in response to official invitations issued by the leaders of these countries”, he specifies.
President Diaz-Canel visits countries with which Cuba has agreements in the energy sector. Besides Venezuela, the island’s main oil suppliers, Algeria, and Russia also sell crude to Cuba, while several of the country’s thermoelectric plants use Soviet or Russian technology. China is the island’s second-largest trading partner after Venezuela and a major communist political ally. In addition, a Turkish company is renting seven floating generators from Cuba that contribute to the production of electricity on the island, the most recent of which arrived in Havana on Tuesday.
The agenda of this tour “responds to Cuba’s political and economic priorities, as well as to efforts to mitigate the effects of a post-pandemic crisis that affects the whole world and which, in our case, is exacerbated by the effects of the American blockade”, adds Mr. Diaz-Canel.
“We will work hard to strengthen the economic and political ties that will allow us to continue promoting the development of Cuba,” the Cuban president concluded on Twitter. He is accompanied on his tour by Ministers of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez, Economy Alejandro Gil, and Foreign Trade Rodrigo Malmierca, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas.
His tour will end on November 27, the day of the municipal elections on the island.
