Prospects of the Russian-Cuban cooperation in the field of construction discussed at the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities of Russia

The Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation held the fifth meeting of the Russian-Cuban Working Group on Construction within the framework of the Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

The main topics of the meeting were cooperation in the field of technical regulation, the development of relations between Russian and Cuban companies, as well as the involvement of Cuban specialists to participate in construction and investment projects. 

Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation Nikita Stasishin and Deputy Minister of Construction of the Republic of Cuba Ricardo Carbajo Chelala chaired the meeting. MGSU Vice-Rector Vera Galishnikova took part on behalf of Moscow State University of Civil Engineering.

"The current geopolitical conditions provide our states with ample opportunities to deepen close ties. We look forward to further fruitful cooperation with our Cuban partners on a wide range of issues in the construction industry. We have set an excellent pace of work: in last October, on the sidelines of the 3rd International Construction Championship in St. Petersburg, we held the fourth meeting of the working group, during which the Commission on Technical Regulation and Vocational Education was established and its work plan for 2023-2024 was approved," stated the Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation Nikita Stasishin.

Training of qualified personnel in the construction industry is an essential component of the construction process and one of the priority areas of specialized cooperation. In accordance with the work plan of the Commission on Technical Regulation and Vocational Education, the Russian side has prepared educational modules for Cuban specialists. Lectures are scheduled for April 2024 in a full-time format. Chairman of the National Union of Architects and Civil Engineers of Cuba Antonio Guerrero Rodriguez, who was present at the meeting, thanked his Russian colleagues for the work done in this field. He expressed the hope that these courses will help solve the problem of personnel shortage in the industry.

The organization of educational modules for Cuban builders is carried out by the National Association of Builders (NOSTROY) in accordance with the agreed list of priority areas of Russian-Cuban cooperation. The modules consist of eight lectures on four topics: the introduction of information modeling technologies in construction, new construction technologies, training of qualified personnel, production and quality control of building materials.

"Working on the lecture program was another step towards achieving the priority goals of cooperation between Russia and Cuba in the field of construction. We have collected the most relevant and trending developments in key areas of the domestic construction complex and presented them in the form of introductory lectures. Thanks to these developments, our Cuban colleagues will be able to update their knowledge and expand their competencies. In the future, taking into account the identified interests on the Cuban side, we are ready to develop additional educational projects on the topics of the modules to improve the skills of specialists for the construction industry of the Cuban Republic," commented Director of Development and Head of the Project Office of the National Association of Builders Elena Parikova (NOSTROI).

Special attention was paid to the development of cooperation between Russian and Cuban companies. Domestic enterprises and manufacturers involved in the construction industry discussed promising areas of cooperation with Cuban partners.

The Cuban side expressed interest in the implementation of construction projects in the territory of the Russian Federation and noted that the work on the projects will become a point of growth for strengthening cooperation between the countries.

"Active development of bilateral cooperation in the field of construction corresponds to the long-term interests of Russia and Cuba. It is necessary to continue strengthening our cooperation," said the Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation Nikita Stasishin.