In today’s interview Cristina Escobar looks at the longstanding relation between Havana and Moscow at a time when Russia is strengthening ties with a number of countries in Latin America. To help analyze the relation, she speaks with analyst Santiago Perez, who studied in the Soviet Union and then served as a diplomat in Russia. He now works in the Research Center of International Politics. They begin by talking about the model of relations that Cuba had with the Soviet Union before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the advantages for each country, the ways in which it affected Cuba’s development, common distortions in the international media, and certain difficulties that had to be overcome. The analyst also touches on changes in both Russia and Cuba after the fall of the Soviet Union, the growth of capitalism in Russia, the severe economic crisis in Cuba, and the chill in relations between the two countries. The interview ends with a discussion of the situation today, whether or not the “Cold War” is over, and the importance of so many recent visits between Russian and Latin American officials, especially Cuban leaders. teleSUR
