"They have only one international airport and they are planning to use one of the ex-military bases to build a big airport hub for Latin America," Denis Manturov told The National on Tuesday.
Russia intends to invest at least $200 million in the project, and is negotiating terms with UAE's Mubadala investment company, owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, according to the minister.
"Cuba is developing a transport hub from the seaport and a railway to the airport," Manturov said. "We are deeply involved in these negotiations."
Last year, Cuba finished a billion-dollar project, largely financed by Brazil, to modernize its port of Mariel, once the site of mass emigration to the United States. The project includes the creation of a special economic development zone to attract foreign investors.
The decades-long US trade embargo on Cuba remains a major obstacle for the island country. US President Barack Obama announced late last year that Washington would restore diplomatic relations with Havana and ease certain sanctions, though the trade ban is yet to be lifted.
