Talks are underway to continue a recreation and rehabilitation program for Russian children in Cuba, said Sergey Ribalchenko, head of family and child protection affairs at the Russian Civic Chamber, this week.
He also said that a group of young people from the Caribbean island will soon arrive in St. Petersburg, as part of their instruction in the Russian language. He also advocated the creation of a children's camp bringing together children from the BRICS countries.
“If children make friends there, this will translate into connections and relations in the future,” he explained.
For his part, Vladimir Volkogon, rector of the State Technical University of the port city of Kaliningrad, proposed organizing trips to Cuba by the famous Russian sailing ships Krusenstern and Sedov to commemorate in 2026 the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth. He noted that they are ships with “enormous experience of diplomatic activities”.
The proposals were presented during the round table Russia-Latin America: seeking new forms of cooperation, held this week at the Civic Chamber, which is dedicated to bringing to the Government initiatives that contribute to the implementation of state policies, among whose priorities is to strengthen ties with this region on the other side of the Atlantic. The meeting was held in collaboration with the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as with the Rossotrudnichestvo agency.
During the meeting, the chief oncologist of the Russian Ministry of Health, Academician Andrei Kaprin, emphasized the potential of the Eurasian country's cooperation with its Latin American and Caribbean partners in the field of health. In particular, he pointed out the diagnosis of cancers, while expressing Russia's willingness to train specialists in the sector. He also raised the issue of telemedicine and medical tourism.
Referring to the main challenges to be resolved between the parties, the director of the Russian National Committee for Economic Collaboration with Latin American Countries, Tatiana Mashkova, insisted on the need to better understand each other's offers. In this context, she highlighted Cuba's advances in biopharmaceuticals, while Chile is strong in fields such as robotics, she underlined.