Moscow, Cuba.- The Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodriguez, has wound up on Tuesady an official visit to Russia after signing a cooperation agreement between Foreign Ministries and having official talks with his Russian counterpart, Serguei Lavrov.

Rodriguez Parrilla called on Monday to categorically reject the US government’s attempt to declare the Monroe Doctrine in force. It is an act of imperialist domination belonging to another era, he commented.

We should be very careful because the invocation of the Monroe Doctrine in our region, in general, was coupled with the use of military force and the so-called ‘gunboat diplomacy’, the Cuban Minister said.

Rodriguez Parrilla expressed his country’s solidarity with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was legitimately reelected in May 2018, with his constitutional government and with the civil-military unity of the people and the Army.

Cuba will support any initiative aimed at fostering respectful dialogue, based on sovereign equality, with strict adherence to the principles of international law, he said.

Rodriguez Parrilla also referred to the recent announcement by the US government to allow lawsuits against Cuban and foreign companies in US courts based on the Helms-Burton law.

This is a further step in the aggressive application of US laws against third countries, which constitutes a blatant violation of international law and the sovereignty of all states, the Cuban FM told Prensa Latina.

Besides, there has been a strong international reaction against this new mechanism that tightens the blockade against Cuba, stressed the diplomat in a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart, Serguei Lavrov, at the close of official talks in Moscow.

For his part, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs confirmed his support to Cuba in its struggle to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade applied by the United States for almost 60 years against the Caribbean country.

Before travelling to Russia, the Cuban Foreign Minister met in Brussels with the High Representative of the European Union for International Security and Foreign Policy, Federica Mogherini.

The Cuban Minister’s tour also includes a visit to China.