State Duma speaker offers Cuban parliament to raise status in CSTO Parliamentary Assembly from guest to partner or observer

HAVANA. Feb 24 (Interfax) - State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin has proposed to consider increasing the status of Cuba's participation in the CSTO at a meeting with President of the Cuban National Assembly of People's Power and the Council of State, Esteban Lazo Hernandez.

"The Cuban side takes part in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization as a guest. We are glad to see the Cuban ambassador to Russia, who always participates in the Parliamentary Assembly," Volodin said.

"Since the State Duma chairman heads the Parliamentary Assembly, I would like to propose [Cuba] consider participation in the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly in other formats, as an observer or as a partner," he said.

"This is a different level of interaction. This is not as members of the Parliamentary Assembly. This is a different level of cooperation. Given our relations which have reached a very high level of understanding, you may accept this proposal," Volodin said.

"Definitely, we should reach a new level of relations which could be based on the foundation laid by our predecessors, formed by time of more than 60 years of relations between the Soviet Union and Cuba and the Russian Federation and Cuba, and strengthened daily by our presidents," he said.

"One old friend is better than two new ones," Volodin said.

A State Duma delegation is paying an official visit to Cuba on February 23-24.