Ambassador Martínez said that Cuba and Serbia have significant potential for parliamentary cooperation and expressed interest in considerably intensifying the scope of said cooperation. She also stressed that there is room for cooperation within the international organisations and forums Serbia and Cuba take part in.

According to Ambassador Martínez, the parliament plays an important role in bringing the two nations closer together, reminding that the previous parliamentary legislature’s friendship group with Cuba was headed by the current President of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic. Ambassador Martínez was interested in the creation of a friendship group in the current legislature of the Serbian Parliament expecting that it would expand the two countries’ overall cooperation framework.

In an open and cordial meeting, Ambassador Martínez briefed National Assembly Speaker Stefanovic on the current political situation in Cuba, in view of the fact that the country is in the midst of pre-election procedure, also informing her host about the economic reform in Cuba. She invited the National Assembly Speaker to visit Cuba, which he accepted, thanking her for the congratulations he had received, as well as the comprehensive information on the country with which, he said, Serbia shares truly friendly ties.

Speaker Stefanovic was also grateful for Cuba’s support of Serbia’s efforts to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity on its entire territory, announcing that, according to his estimates, a friendship group with Cuba would be created at the National Assembly by mid-October.

The officials agreed that expanding the scope of overall cooperation between the two countries is possible in several areas despite the vast geographical distance and obstacles such as the decades-long embargo on Cuba, adding that medical cooperation was among the points of highest interest as a field in which Cuba is a global leader and which the Serbian public is very interested in.