User:Pectore/Cuba

Cuba and Sri Lanka have shared strong bilateral ties since 1959.

Beginning
The current regime of Cuba and the government of Sri Lanka established ties shortly after Fidel Castro's ascent to power in 1959. Ties were officially made on July 29, 1959, and Cuba and Sri Lanka recently celebrated the golden jubilee of this occasion after fifty years of bilateral ties. Sri Lanka was one of the first countries to recognize Cuba, when Che Guevara (then Industry Minister) visited Sri Lanka on a delegation to promote the sugar trade.

Non-Alignment
Both Sri Lanka and Cuba were members of the Non-aligned movement, which rejected a bipolar domination of world affairs. Though many members of the Non-Alignment Movement were embroiled in intra-member conflicts, Cuban-Sri Lankan relations were quite cordial. Prime Minister Junius Richard Jayawardene visited Cuba in 1979 to promote the aims of the movement, while the respective governments signed a number of agreements in the 1970's to further cement ideological ties. These included a cultural agreement, signed in 1976 and amended many times later, and a Scientific and Technical agreement which was signed in 1978 and later buttressed by later added protocols.

Economic ties
Cuba and Sri Lanka have cooperated in a number of sectors with the goal of mutual development and economic progress. This cooperation has been especially noted in the sectors of risk management and biotechnology. Ties in the agriculture sector have been developed, and the similar climates of both countries have enabled the countries to work on developing crops such as papaya and coconut.