Putin sends New Year’s greetings to 3 Latin American partners
Russian President Vladimir V. Putin sent New Year’s greetings to three Latin American presidents with whom he has established good working relations.
As summarized by the Kremlin press office, his message to Cuban President Raúl Castro Ruz, says the following:
“The Russian President extended congratulations to the President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers of Cuba, Raúl Castro, on the occasion of the national holiday of the Republic, Liberation Day, and also Christmas and the coming New Year.
“V. Putin noted that the time-tested relations of friendship and cooperation between Russia and Cuba are at a high level, and expressed his belief that joint efforts will ensure the country’s further consistent buildup of Russian-Cuban relations in a spirit of strategic partnership.”
[In his speech to the National Assembly on Dec. 29, President Castro had acknowledged Russia’s cooperation “in the financing, under advantageous conditions, of four 200-megawatt units of electrical power each and the modernization of our steel industry.” Castro also criticized Washington’s and Europe’s “policy of unilateral sanctions against Russia and the tightening of NATO’s siege along its borders, (which has) only fostered a climate of greater instability and insecurity in the region.”]
Putin also wrote to the Venezuelan president.
“Addressing the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, the Russian President stressed that last year was very successful for the strategic partnership between Russia and Venezuela, and expressed confidence that the whole complex of mutually beneficial Russian-Venezuelan relations for the benefit of the friendly people of the two countries will continue to effectively build up in the interests of international stability and security.”
Then Putin wrote to the president of Brazil.
“In his greeting to the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, the Russian head of state said that he looks forward to continuing a meaningful dialogue and constructive joint work to strengthen the whole complex of the relations of partnership between Russia and Brazil, including cooperation in the framework of the United Nations, the BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] and other multilateral institutions.
“In addition, the Russian president expressed the hope that the coming year will be successful for Brazil, including the carrying out of an important international event — the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Though not a Latin American head of state, Barack Obama also received a message from Putin, saying that “the past year has confirmed that the relations between Russia and the United States are a key factor in ensuring international security.
“The Russian President also expressed his conviction that building constructive dialogue and cooperation, and taking into account each other’s interests, Russia and the U.S. could effectively counter the new threats and challenges, and promote the settlement of crises in the different regions.”
