Russia has held discussions with Havana about the construction of an oil refinery in Cuba together with Russian companies, the TASS news agency cited a senior Russian lawmaker, Alexander Babakov, as saying.
A delegation of Russian lawmakers headed by the speaker of the lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, is visiting Cuba. Babakov said the possible construction of an oil refinery was discussed during the trip.
“Cuba has crude oil: it is logical not to import oil products but to produce them here,” he was quoted as saying by TASS.
“The largest Russian companies could be involved here,” he added.
Russia and Cuba’s socialist state have a long history of close relations reaching back to the days of the 1959 Cuban revolution after which Havana was supported by the Soviet Union.
Russia resumed in March crude oil supplies to Cuba after year-long hiatus.
Venezuela is Cuba’s main supplier of oil, but shipments have declined in recent years. Last year Mexico exported significant amounts of oil to Cuba but has not done so this year.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Louise Heavens)