Relationship dossier
Cuba
Venezuela
Relationship assessment
A close political and economic alliance built around Venezuelan oil support and Cuban personnel cooperation
Cuba toward Venezuela
+80The Cuban government has provided medical, educational, and other personnel to Venezuela through bilateral cooperation and has supported the Venezuelan government politically. Cuba also joined Venezuela in establishing ALBA as a regional political and cooperation framework.
Venezuela toward Cuba
+85The Venezuelan government has supplied Cuba with oil and economic support through bilateral cooperation arrangements and has backed the Cuban government in regional political forums. Venezuela and Cuba also jointly established ALBA.
Overall relationship
+85The relationship has been sustained by a substantial exchange of support: Venezuelan oil and economic assistance have helped Cuba, while Cuban personnel and political cooperation have supported Venezuela. Shared political alignment and joint regional initiatives reinforce the partnership, although the scale and implementation of cooperation have varied.
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 Venezuela developed a close alliance under Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro, combining Venezuelan oil and economic support with Cuban medical, educational, and other personnel. Both governments have maintained strong political alignment and cooperation through arrangements including the Cuba–Venezuela cooperation agreement and the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA).
Key developments
Cuba and Venezuela signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement that established a framework for exchanges including Venezuelan oil and Cuban services.
Cuba and Venezuela founded the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) as a regional cooperation framework.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and terms of Venezuelan oil and economic support have varied over time.
- The current scope and implementation of Cuban personnel and security cooperation in Venezuela are unclear.