Russian government denies that Mir cards can be used in Cuba

TheRussian Mir system cardsThey cannot yet be used in Cuba, as declared by the Russian Federal Tourism Agency after news spread that the service had been implemented on the island.

Zarina Doguzova, head of the Russian tourist agency,denied on his Telegram channel that Russian Mir cards could now be used in ATMs in Cuba.

"As for the dissemination of the possibility of withdrawing cash from the Mir card in Cuba, this option is currently not available. At the same time, real work is being done on the organization of card services in Cuba. As soon as it exists such an opportunity for our tourists, we will definitely inform them together with our colleagues from the Mir payment system," he posted.

The Russian official's statements came after the Tourism Counselor of the Cuban Embassy in Moscow,Juan Carlos Escalona, will communicate to theAssociation of Russian Tour Operators (ATOR) that it is now possible to withdraw money in Cuban pesos with Mir cards in Cuba.

"You can now withdraw pesos in cash from ATMs in Cuba using the Russian Mir bank card," reads the note on the ATOR website.

The Cuban official informed ATOR that the ATMs of state banks can be found in Havana and in the main tourist centers, such as Varadero, at the same time that he announced as concluded a first phase that envisaged accepting cards at ATMs.

"Until the end of 2022, as part of the second stage, Mir cards will be accepted at all points of sale in Cuba. We hope that this measure will help the resumption of direct flights and the reestablishment of Russian tourism to Cuba," he said. Escalona, although since last Marchthere are no direct flights to the island.

The head of the Russian Federal Tourism Agency, on the other hand, stated that the option to withdraw cash is not available.

In past months,The Central Bank of Cuba had announced the proximity of the acceptance of the cards Russian Mir cards with which Russian visitors could pay for their services in the countrywhile your stay lasts.

According to the website ofSputnik, the Mir card system is currently used in Turkey, Vietnam, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Its employment is conditioned by the sanctions imposed by the US and Europe on the Visa and Mastercard payment systems of Russian banks following the invasion of Ukraine, the site reported.

Now the use of the cards is intended to be extended as a complementary measure to reactivate Russian tourism in Cuba, which last year was the country with the most visitors to the island, with nearly 147,000.