Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for the implications of his polices of reports that Cuban President, Miguel Diaz-Canel, met with Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, on 21 November 2022 in Moscow to discuss ways to strengthen economic relations and expand political dialogue.

UK policies towards Cuba and Russia are not affected by the meeting between the Cuban President and the Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council. The Cuban and Russian Governments have a longstanding Intergovernmental Commission which meets annually to expand political dialogue and strengthen economic relations and investment opportunities. The 2022 meeting of the Commission took place over the last week in Moscow and was the 19th meeting of the Commission. The meetings were attended by members of the Russian and Cuban Governments, including President Diaz-Canel and Vice-President Cabrisas. President Diaz-Canel also met Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.