UAE, Cuba sign accords to strengthen ties

October 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero assured US President Barack Obama that Spain is willing to take some detainees held at Guantanamo Bay in a sign of friendlier ties between the two countries. Meeting with Obama at the White House, Zapatero said there has not been an agreement on a final number of detainees who can be transferred to Spain, adding that is part of ongoing discussions.

September 30th, 2009 AP Newsbreak: US, Cuba held unannounced talksNEW YORK — Three State Department officials say a senior American diplomat has held unannounced, high-level talks in Havana with the Cuban government. The officials tell The Associated Press that the talks were the first of their kind in years between representatives of the two countries.

September 30th, 2009 Cuba moderately conciliatory toward US at UNUNITED NATIONS — Cuba is adopting a moderately conciliatory tone toward the U.S. at the United Nations General Assembly.

September 1st, 2009 US, Cuba to discuss resuming direct mailWASHINGTON — The United States and Cuba will start talks this month on resuming direct mail service between the two countries for the first time in nearly half a century as the Obama administration continues to try to engage the communist island, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

August 21st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The United States and Pakistan have agreed to revive strategic dialogue between them to strengthen their bilateral ties. According to sources, the fourth round of Strategic Dialogue between both nations will be held in Islamabad during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Pakistan in October.

August 20th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has urged the leaderships of both India and Pakistan to resume bilateral dialogue and enhance people to people contact to strengthen bilateral ties between both countries. During his meeting with Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal, Sharif said both countries should adopt a positive attitude towards each other instead of just leveling allegations.

July 30th, 2009 Russia signs oil pact, offers $150M credit to CubaHAVANA — Russia and Cuba signed agreements to search for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, and Moscow extended the island $150 million in credit for construction materials and farm machinery, state media said Wednesday. The credit will give Cuba more time to pay for Russian equipment shipped to areas most affected by three hurricanes that caused more than $10 billion in damage last summer.

July 3rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today said that meeting with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of NAM summit in Egypt would be an opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties. After presiding over convocation at a college in Islamabad, Gilani said Pakistan wants to maintain friendly relations with all its neighbours, including India and Afghanistan.

April 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Cuban strongman Raul Castro has said that it is the United States that needs to come forward with gestures to show that it is keen on improving relations with Cuba. Echoing his ailing older brother Fidel, the Daily News quoted Cuban President Raul Castro as saying: "Cuba has not imposed sanctions against the U.S." and "therefore it is not Cuba that has to make gestures." At a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Havana, Castro brushed off President Obama's easing of travel and money transfers by Cuban-Americans to the island as "fine, positive but [they] only achieved the minimum." Obama and Clinton have said they expected "signals" from Cuba, including the release of political prisoners, before beginning a dialogue on improving ties.

April 29th, 2009 Iran's defense minister visits VenezuelaCARACAS, Venezuela — Iran's defense minister has held talks with officials in Venezuela seeking to strengthen military ties. Iran's official IRNA news agency reported Tuesday that Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammed Najjar met with Venezuelan Vice President Ramon Carrizalez, who is also the acting defense minister.

April 29th, 2009 Castro: Onus not on Cuba for US better relationsHAVANA — Raul Castro has dismissed Barack Obama's policy changes toward Cuba as "minimal" and says it is up to the U.S. — not Cuba — to do more to improve relations.

April 9th, 2009 HAVANA - Former Cuban president Fidel Castro has said he believes US President Barack Obama wants to improve relations with Cuba, but the US political reality will not make that possible. Castro said in an article that when one of the lawmakers, Bobby Rush, told him that Obama would need help from Cuba to end the five-decade chill in US-Cuban ties, he replied by observing 'that the objective realities' of the US are 'stronger than Obama's sincere intentions'.

March 21st, 2009 HAVANA - Cuba and the European Union (EU) have decided to boost cooperation in health, education and scientific research. Businessmen from Cuba and EU countries participated in a meeting held here Thursday to discuss the issues.

February 22nd, 2009 HAVANA - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has arrived on a surprise visit to Cuba and met his counterpart Raul Castro, according to an official communique Saturday. This is Chavez's fifth visit to the island nation in less than a year and first since he won a referendum, allowing him to seek indefinite re-election and forge ahead with his socialist-inspired policies, EFE reported.

January 8th, 2009 HAVANA - Cuban President Raul Castro has expressed confidence in bolstering ties between Havana and Tehran while meeting Iran's Industry and Mines Minister Ali Akbar Mezharabian, according to an official statement. Mezharabian, the special envoy of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, delivered a message from the Iranian leader for the Cuban president and his brother Fidel, and stressed Iran´s friendship and solidarity towards Cuba.