Algeria announced a resumption of fuel supplies to Cuba and a donation to the island of a solar power plant to strengthen its energy sector and avoid recurrent power cuts.
The announcement was made during a visit by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel to Algiers where he began a tour that will also take him to Russia, Turkey and China.
Algeria has decided “to grant Cuba a solar power plant and resume the supply of fuel to enable Cuba to restart the power plants and stop the current power cuts,” said Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during a press briefing with his counterpart.
Mr. Tebboune welcomed a resumption of cooperation with Cuba, “unfortunately interrupted in 2019,” without giving further explanations.
Since May, Cuba has been facing a severe energy crisis, which has resulted in prolonged power outages and frequent fuel shortages.
In addition to Venezuela, the island’s main oil supplier, Algiers also sells crude to Havana.
Mr. Tebboune also said he decided “to mitigate the difficulties faced by the Cuban economy by cancelling all interest on the Cuban debt.
For Mr. Diaz-Canel, the rescheduling of Cuba’s debt to Algeria, the amount of which has not been disclosed, is an “important support of Algeria to Cuba and a testimony of its understanding of the situation in (his) country.
The two countries have a history of friendly relations. The first Cuban doctors arrived in Algeria in 1963, one year after the country’s independence.
The Cuban president described bilateral political relations as “excellent”, stressing that the two heads of state have a “convergence of views on international and regional issues of common interest”.
It was agreed to “boost economic, commercial and financial ties to bring them up to the level of political relations,” said the Cuban president.
MESSRS. Tebboune and Diaz-Canel decided “to strengthen cooperation in the fields of health, energy, renewable energy and agriculture, while conducting cultural, educational, scientific and technological exchanges,” according to their joint statements.
