HAVANA, Cuba, (TeleSUR) – On Thursday, foreign affairs ministers Santiago Cafiero (Argentina) and Bruno Rodriguez (Cuba) signed a cooperation agreement for agricultural development, which seeks to promote Cuba’s food sovereignty amid the US blockade and the economic crisis prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In these times of crisis, it is necessary to increase trade and deepen cooperation ties between our countries, which share historical brotherhood bonds,” Cafiero highlighted, stressing that food sovereignty is essential to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Thanks to this agreement, an Agricultural Technology Transfer and Training Center will be set up in Cuba to promote small and medium-sized production and develop “No-Till Farming,” which is a technique for growing crops or pasture without disturbing the soil through tillage.
The chancellors also signed the third update of their countries’ “Trade and Cooperation Agreement”, a strategy that will allow Argentina and Cuba to expand the basket of goods and services they exchange and ease commercial procedures.
The signing of both cooperation agreements occurred amid the 22nd Summit of Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which is taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
At this Summit, Rodriguez thanked the Argentine people and government for rejecting the US blockade against Cuba and sending medical supplies donations to Cuba during the most complex COVID-19 wave.
He also reaffirmed Cuba’s support for the Argentine sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands and this South American country’s candidacy for the 2022 CELAC Pro Tempore Presidency.
