Cuba-Iran relations, which are characterized by economic and diplomatic cooperation, are quite friendly.
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
has a productive trade balance with
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. The two governments signed a document to bolster cooperation in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. in January 2006.
President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called relations "firm and progressive" over the past three decades.
President urges Tehran-Havana cooperation in NAM - Irna
Background
According to the Christian Science Monitor
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...
, relations had been growing "has been under way for some years prior to Ahmadinejad's ascendancy to the presidency."Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. which Cuba blocks broadcasting by the US-backed Radio Marti
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
. Iran also worked with Cuba expertise to jam American broadcasting into its borders. Cuba has also helped build a genetic laboratory in Iran.[
]
Trade
According to the above-mentioned January 2006 document, Iran and Cuba expanded cooperation in several commercial, banking, agriculture, health and cultural fields. The two countries also stated they will expand cooperation in areas of the sugar industry, fishery, biotechnology, sports, transportation, development projects, investment, tourism, information technology and communications and water resources.[
The document asks for Iran and Cuba to provide more facilities in banking cooperation with an aim of promoting economic and trade ties and making use of mutual scientific, research and industrial capabilities. In 2006 trading between the two countries reached US$5 million.][
In 2008, Iran granted Cuba a 200-million-Euro credit line to undertake several different projects; a large part of that money was dedicated to financing Cuban imports of railroad wagons, both for cargo and passengers.]
Nuclear energy
Cuba supports Iran's program to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes[ though the countries agreed to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Former President of Cuba Fidel Castro spoke admiringly of Iran "increasing its ability to fight big powers by the day."][
]
See also
* Foreign relations of Cuba
Cuba's foreign policy has been fluid throughout history depending on world events and other variables, including relations with the United States. Without massive Soviet subsidies and its primary trading partner, Cuba became increasingly isola ...
* Foreign relations of Iran
The foreign relations of Iran are the economic and diplomatic relationships between the Iranian government and governments of other countries. Geography is a very significant factor in informing Iran's foreign policy. Following the 1979 Iranian ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuba-Iran relations
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
Bilateral relations of Iran