Culture, a different chapter in Cuba-US relations

New York, May 15 (Prensa Latina) The cultural and literary ties between Cuba and the United States make a difference in the face of decades of hostile policy from the government in Washington, according to the prominent poet and researcher Nancy Morejon.

In statements to Prensa Latina, the essayist also recalled the historic links in the artistic work between the two countries despite the blockade.

From Jose Marti, Ernest Hemingway, the longtime friendship between Nicolas Guillen and US poet Langston Hughes to the edition of American Stories, compiled by Jose Rodriguez Feo in the late 1960s, both countries share a valuable literary history.

Translations, compilations of texts or academic courses between both shores confirm a solid link in the world of literature that, according to the Cuban author, extends to the present day.

Morejón herself is an example the publication in the United States of her anthology “Donde duermen la isla como un ala,” in 1985, and her recent visit to several US cities, including New York.

“I think that in those ties there are many things to maintain and to continue as long as are alive,” she said in this regard.

As part of her agenda in this city, Morejon held meetings and read her poems with young local artists, Cuban residents and representatives of the Cuban Embassy at the United Nations.

She also spoke with members of the Group of Friends of Spanish at the UN and visited the Center for Cuban Studies in Brooklyn, a cultural initiative led by Sandra Levinson.

Before her return to Cuba, the 2001 National Literature Award winner plans cultural meetings at the Malcolm X Center and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.

Born in Havana in 1944, Nancy Morejón is considered one of the most relevant voices of Cuban poetry with an important work dedicated to the so-called black poetry, the study of Nicolás Guillén’s work and Caribbean literature.

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Cuban Foreign Ministry congratulates Paraguay on National Holiday

Havana, May 14 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban Foreign Ministry (MINREX) congratulated the people and Government of Paraguay on Tuesday, on the occasion of their National Day.

On its X profile, the Foreign Ministry ratified Cuba’s will to continue to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation that unite both nations.

The anniversary recalls the 213th anniversary of Paraguay’s independence from the Spanish rule, after the May Revolution, as the events of May 14 and 15, 1811, are known.

It also commemorates the country’s refusal to become part of what were called the United Provinces of Río de la Plata and years later, the Argentine Confederation, which sought to include Paraguay as a province.

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Cuban president meets Chinese party leader

Havana, May 14 (Prensa Latina) President Miguel Diaz-Canel met with Chen Zhou, Vice Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, in this capital.

During the meeting, Diaz-Canel pointed out that the visit of the Chinese leader to the nation confirms the excellent state of bilateral relations, the Presidency of the Republic informed on its X platform.

The head of State greeted his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and acknowledged his sensitivity, to that of the Chinese Communist Party and Government facing the complex moments Cuba is going through.

Chen, in turn, also conveyed the affectionate greetings from the Chinese president to his Cuban counterpart.

He explained that his visit aims to put into practice the consensus reached and show political support for Cuba.

This Monday, the Chinese party leader met with Cuba’s Communist Party (PCC) Organization Secretary Roberto Morales, with whom he agreed on the good relations between the two political organizations.

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Cuban FM is grateful for participation in agricultural conference

Havana, May 14 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez on Tuesday thanked the Agricultural Coalition (Focus Cuba), business people and officials from several institutions for their participation in the 5th Cuba-US Agricultural Conference in Havana.

On his official X profile, the head of Cuban diplomacy noted that they remind us the importance of making progress and overcome the absurdity and cruelty of the blockade sanctions that punish the two people.

The 5th United States-Cuba Agricultural Conference began on Monday at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, in Havana, to identify potential agricultural businesses that will contribute to food supplies and security.

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Mexican president demands suspension of US blockade against Cuba

Mexico, May 13 (Prensa Latina) Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Monday reiterated his call to the United States to suspend the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, and celebrated a recent decision on remittances to the Caribbean island.

In response to a question regarding the talks on migration issues with Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, White House advisor for Homeland Security, at his regular press conference, the president insisted that it is necessary to address the causes of these flows.

Among other issues, he mentioned the existence of the blockade imposed by Washington on Cuba for more than six decades and urged to eliminate it.

“They have just made a decision -I was just informed today-, which I welcome, if it is true, that they are lifting the ban so that relatives who have decided to live in Cuba can receive remittances, because they had been forbidden to do so. Imagine that,” the President added.

“In Mexico’s case, we are very grateful to our migrant countrymen, who send 63 billion dollars to their relatives, but how is it that in the case of Cuba it is forbidden for a relative who is in the United States to send support to a father, a mother or a grandfather?

“Yesterday it seems that they took a measure so that they can receive remittances. Not as it should be, without limits,” said López Obrador, adding that it seems to be something still incipient.

Nevertheless, he described it as a good step and expressed his wish that the rulers of the United States continue with these actions, and that politicians from both parties understand that, above economic and ideological interests, are human rights and universal brotherhood.

“We can fight at the top, have our political and ideological positions, but what is the people’s fault and why do they have to suffer from these differences?” said the president, adding that this “has nothing to do with freedom, democracy and much less with humanism”, added.

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Cuba and the UAE highlight the good state of their relations

Havana, May 13 (Prensa Latina) The Foreign Minister of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez, held a meeting today with Omar Hassan Shehadeh, envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in which they highlighted the good state of bilateral relations, Rodríguez reported on his social network.

Cuba and the UAE established diplomatic relations on March 18, 2002 and since then the ties have been characterized by the desire to bring economic and commercial ties to the high level achieved in the political and diplomatic spheres.

The two countries show coincidence of positions in international forums, in addition to having a mutual interest in taking advantage of the potential in various branches of the economy and in sectors such as culture and health.

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Cuban president meets Algerian authorities

Havana, May 10 (Prensa Latina) President Miguel Diaz-Canel met in Algeria with Brahim Bougali, President of the National People’s Assembly, during a technical stopover on his return trip from Moscow, where he was on a working visit.

The national television informed that the IL-96 Cubana de Aviación plane carrying the Cuban president and his accompanying delegation landed at the Houari Boumediene International Airport in Algier, the capital of Algeria, approximately at 23:00 hours.

Present at the meeting were Cuban Ambassador to Algeria, Héctor Igarza, and Algerian Health Minister and co-chairman of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission, Abdelhak Saihi.

The press release noted that both parties discussed the state of their bilateral relations and other issues of mutual interest.

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Cuban Solidarity: Mexico To Hire 1200 Cuban Doctors

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The director of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), Zoé Robledo, (left) and the President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel (right) meet in Havana on Friday, May 10th to discuss medical cooperation between Cuba and Mexico.

The Cuban president ratified the willingness to support as much as possible “the sister nation.”

May 12 (teleSUR) The Mexican government will hire 1,200 additional Cuban doctors to the hundreds already in the country after a meeting between the director of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), Zoé Robledo, and the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel.

The meeting happened last Friday in Havana, the Zoé Robledo specified days later the number of Cuban specialists, who will join the 768 who already work in the public health sector of Mexico and 123 who will arrive the next days with a specialty in family medicine.

“Serving the Mexican people through a government project between our two nations is also a growth for our doctors because there is much that undoubtedly contributes to their training as professionals, as humans and as revolutionaries, experience with the people,” said Díaz-Canel

Abordamos las posibilidades para aumentar la cooperación entre #México y #Cuba, y coincidimos en que los avances logrados son ejemplos de cuánto podemos seguir haciendo juntos.

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The Cuban president ratified the willingness to support as much as possible “the sister nation” he said that the island will continue to do everything within the reach of the people and the government to expand the cooperation agreement between the two nations.

On the other hand, the IMSS president reiterated the commitment of the current Mexican government to continue strengthening its health system, a path in which an effort is being made to end one of the most terrible legacies that the neoliberal model bequeathed to Mexico, which was the lack of specialist doctors.

Mexico has 2.4 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants, higher than the average of 2 per 1,000 in Latin America, but lower than the average of 3.5 in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).

“The participation of Cuban doctors in IMSS-Welfare has added to the work of Mexican doctors to strengthen the First Level of Care by increasing productivity in consultations and operating rooms,” the medical entity’s statement said.

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Havana ready for the Cuba-Russia Friendship Race

Havana, May 10 (Prensa Latina) Everything is ready today for the traditional Cuba-Russia Friendship Race to be held on Saturday in this capital dedicated to the 79th anniversary of the victory against fascism.

The National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (Inder) and the Embassy of the Russian Federation, with the technical support of the National Commission of Marabana Maracuba Races and Walks (CNCCMM), called on the entire population to join the also-called Marathon of Victory.

With the start and finish line at the diplomatic headquarters of that Eurasian country, located in Miramar’s neighborhood in Playa municipality, the race will have a distance of less than four kilometers along the surrounding avenues and the starting time will be 10:00 a.m. local time.

At 7:30 a.m., at the same place, registration will begin for all participants, who should exceed one thousand, as has been the case in previous versions.

The organizers will award prizes to the first three places in each category and to the winners of the different associations of people with physical disabilities, in addition to encouraging the 600 runners or walkers who cross the finish line first.

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Cuban deputy prime minister thanks Saudi Fund for investments

Havana, May 10 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas thanked the director of Local Content of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), Abdulmohsen Al Khayal, for the projects being done by that institution in the country’s hydraulic sector.

Upon receiving the Saudi delegation, Cabrisas, who is also the minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, underlined the significance of the new SFD visit to strengthen bilateral ties and follow up on the agreements reached in previous contacts between delegations from both countries.

Cabrisas underscored the importance of the ongoing negotiations for the constitution of a high-level mechanism to monitor the economic, commercial, financial and cooperation actions agreed upon between the two nations, as well as the promotion and reciprocal protection of investments, and to prevent double taxation and tax evasion.

The SFD representatives reiterated their willingness to support Cuba’s economic development with the financing of projects that are reflected in the quality of life of the population and contribute to improving infrastructure.

At the same time, they reiterated their willingness to assess investments in several prioritized economic sectors such as tourism and hydraulic resources.

Prior to the meeting, members of the Saudi delegation visited social works financed by the SFD and met with the president of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, Antonio Rodríguez.

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