Cuba invites India to explore its resource-rich areas

Cuba invites India to explore its resource-rich areas

PTI | May 27, 2013, 11.25 PM IST



NEW DELHI: Reeling under severe financial sanctions, Cuba on Monday

sought India's help in exploiting its vast natural resource base and as

well as enhanced economic cooperation with it and other BRICS countries.



"India is a world leader in the field of information and satellite

technology which they can use to cooperate with us in exploration of

resource rich regions in our country," Cuban foreign minister Bruno

Rodriguez Parrilla said delivering a lecture here.



Blaming embargoes and economic sanctions for Cuba's current economic

situation, he said that the country is in the process of adopting the

"modern culture" into its society.



"We wish to seek a higher level of economic cooperation with the India

and the other BRICS nations, which we consider to be valuable," he said.



Parrilla said the Latin American country which is facing severe economic

crisis is in the process of implementing economic reforms.



"We are trying to bring in a lot of changes in Cuba, including the

abolition of the two currency system and encouraging investments from

small private entities and cooperative societies," he said.



On ties with the United States, which according to Parrilla are a major

setback to its economic growth, he said that "the relations are stuck in

the Cold War era and there is no reason for it to remain so".



He rued that there has been no effort on the part of the US to make it

better.



Asked about the US including Cuba in the list of countries sponsoring

terrorism, he said, "Anyone who is in their senses will not believe

that. There is no reason for the US to include us in that".



Offering to cooperate with India in the pharmaceutical sector, he said

that Cuba and other Latin American countries who are a part of the

Community of Latin American and Caribbean States ( CELAC) have

considerable amount of expertise and resources to offer to Indian companies.



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