German, Cuban FMs hold talks on bilateral cooperation

BERLIN - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with his visiting Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla here on Tuesday. Both expressed readiness to promote bilateral cooperation between Germany and Cuba.

Speaking to reporters after their meeting, Steinmeier said he was pleased to see that the German-Cuban cooperation could be promoted after years of deadlock.

He was confident that agreements being negotiated on future cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy and culture could be signed in the current year.

The "political, economic and cultural interest in Cuba," the minister further noted, is "great in Germany and continues to grow," adding that his country is willing to support the "Cuban way of opening."

For his part, Rodriguez Parrilla believed there was great potential in the Cuban-German cooperation, particularly in the development of economic relations between the two countries.

As for the current situation in Cuba, the minister said his country was pursuing "very long-term development goals" and "even as a small country" has "some very interesting competitive advantages" to offer.

Tuesday's meeting is the second one between the two within 10 months. Steinmeier paid a visit to the Cuban capital Havana in July 2015 following a restoration of diplomatic ties between Cuba and the United States.

Rodriguez Parrilla's return visit has become the first official visit to Berlin by an Cuban foreign minister since Germany's reunification in 1990.