Russia to give Cuba $1m to restore damage from Hurricane Sandy

Officials with the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia would give Cuba a million dollars for the restoration of damaged housing in the province of Santiago de Cuba. The document was signed by the Russian Ambassador in Cuba Mikhail Kamynin and coordinator of the UN system in Havana Myrta  Kaulard.

"Russia will allocate one million dollars for the reconstruction of housing stock in the province of Santiago de Cuba, damaged in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy. The Funds will be used to finance the project, developed by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) . In particular, it stipulates for the repairs of hundreds of homes, which will give primarily low-income families an opportunity to return to permanent places of their residence. Construction materials will be purchased on the local market, which will contribute to the development of small and medium-sized Cuban business.

"This project will further strengthen friendly Russian-Cuban relations, demonstrating the increasing role of Russia as a donor of international development," a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Representatives of the Cuban Ministry for Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment attended the signing ceremony, ITAR-TASS reports.