Relationship dossier
Cuba
Mexico
Relationship assessment
Durable ties and practical cooperation, alongside occasional diplomatic strain
Cuba toward Mexico
+30Cuba has cooperated with Mexico on health services, including by sending Cuban medical personnel under bilateral arrangements. The scope and implementation of that cooperation are not fully clear.
Mexico toward Cuba
+45Mexico has opposed the United States’ Cuba embargo in international forums and provided practical support, including oil supplies. The two governments have also agreed to health cooperation involving Cuban medical personnel, despite episodes of diplomatic strain.
Overall relationship
+40The relationship has endured through changes in government and includes recurring Mexican support for Cuba, diplomatic engagement, and bilateral health cooperation. Disagreements have periodically strained ties, but have not displaced the broader pattern of sustained engagement.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Cuba and Mexico have maintained a durable relationship that includes diplomatic engagement and health cooperation. Mexico has repeatedly opposed the United States’ Cuba embargo and provided practical support, including oil supplies and agreements for Cuban medical personnel. Bilateral ties have also experienced periods of strain, notably after disagreements between the governments in 2002.
Areas of tension
- Diplomatic tensions followed Mexico’s vote on a United Nations human-rights resolution concerning Cuba in 2002.
- Disagreement over Mexico’s policy toward Cuba contributed to a diplomatic dispute in 2002.
Key developments
Mexico voted for a United Nations human-rights resolution concerning Cuba, contributing to a period of diplomatic strain.
Mexico and Cuba reached an agreement for Cuban doctors to work in Mexico.
Mexico sent oil supplies to Cuba as practical support.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and implementation of Cuban medical cooperation with Mexico are unclear.
- The volume and continuity of Mexican oil supplies to Cuba are uncertain.