Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz Passed Away

September 18, 2025

On the afternoon of Tuesday, September 16, comrade Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, Vice Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba, passed away in Havana, with a distinguished trajectory in service to the Revolution.  

Cabrisas was born on January 21, 1937, in Havana, and graduated as a Bachelor of Sciences and from the School of Foreign Trade. He also completed studies in Political Sciences. 

He participated in revolutionary activities organized against Batista's tyranny by the student movement at the Institute of Secondary Education in Ciego de Ávila, as well as in the FEU and the Revolutionary Directorate of March 13, at the University of Havana, while studying Medicine.  

In 1959 he joined the Revolutionary Navy and later served in the Ministry of Interior. 

From 1961 he joined the work of the Ministry of Foreign Trade; he was Commercial Counselor in Uruguay, Chile, and Canada; observer delegate of Cuba to the Latin American Free Trade Association (LAFTA); director of Commercial Policy with Latin America; vice-general commissioner of Cuba at EXPO '67; extraordinary ambassador and plenipotentiary of Cuba to the Government of Japan, vice minister and minister of Foreign Trade from 1980 until the year 2000. 

Due to his proven capacity, he was appointed Minister of Government and eight years later designated Vice President of the Council of Ministers; simultaneously with this responsibility he also served in recent years as Minister of Economy and Planning, and later as head of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment.  

Comrade Cabrisas was part of official Cuban delegations to numerous international events in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Africa. He presided on the Cuban side over intergovernmental commissions for economic and financial relations with China, Russia, Angola, and Venezuela.

He enjoyed the full confidence of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz and General of the Army Raúl Castro Ruz, and of the Leadership of the Party, the State, and the Government.

Simple, modest, and austere, he was awarded multiple national and foreign recognitions, among which stand out the honorary title of Hero of Labor of the Republic of Cuba and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Party and a deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power.  

The Revolution loses a cadre whose loyalty, knowledge, and capacity made him worthy of respect and confidence to entrust him with high responsibilities, such as representing Cuba in the international arena and in debates on foreign policy and trade.

The posthumous tribute will be rendered to him this Wednesday the 17th, starting at nine in the morning, at the headquarters of the Council of Ministers, the place where he dedicated much of his life to work.

Our deepest condolences to his family and friends.