Colombo, May 20 (Prensa Latina) Cuban ambassador Andrés González and the president of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Duminda Hulangamuwa, talked about commercial ties between Cuba and Sri Lanka and the possibilities of extending them.
The meeting took place at the organization’s headquarters, which included everything from large corporations to small businesses and works in close collaboration with government institutions to contribute to the prosperity of companies.
Regarding the meeting, González gave Hulangamuwa a letter of invitation from the president of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, Antonio Carricarte, for the 40th Havana International Fair, which will take place from November 4th to 9th, 2024.
Attached to the letter was the call for participation in the important commercial event in Cuba, one of the most prestigious in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Cuban embassy in Colombo highlighted.
Buwanekabahu Perera, head of the executive office and general secretary of the Sri Lankan Chamber, Dilini Yasendra, also from that department and in charge of Management, and Maribel Duarte, first secretary of the Cuban embassy in Sri Lanka, participated in the meeting.
Havana, May 20 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel congratulated Luis Abinader on his re-election as head of the Dominican Republic.
In his profile on the social network X, the Cuban leader reaffirmed his will to continue strengthening the historic relations that unite both sister nations.
This Sunday Abinader was reelected in the first round for a second term until 2028, according to the data, already irreversible, provided by the Central Electoral Board (JCE) on Sunday night.
At that time, the president led the elections with 58,4% of the votes cast, compared to 2,5% for former president Leonel Fernandez, and 10,8% obtained by the mayor of Santiago de los Caballeros, Abel Martinez.
Havana, May 20 (Prensa Latina) Members of the delegation of US activists from the Hatuey solidarity project continue their activities in Cuba on Monday as part of their visit in support of the Revolution.
The group, coordinated by Gloria la Riva, US activist and friend of Cuba, expects to meet with reporters at the headquarters of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with Peoples (ICAP, in Spanish).
Hatuey’s delegation of about 20 people arrived in Cuba on May 17 to deliver donations to the Juan Manuel Marquez Children’s Hospital in Havana and the José Luis Miranda Hospital in Santa Clara, in central Cuba, two health institutions they had previously visited to assess their most pressing needs.
The group conducted in the United States a fundraising campaign and took steps to obtain contributions from pharmaceutical companies, resources for pediatric cancer patients, and other medical supplies valued at 60,000 dollars.
Hatuey stands for Health Advocates in Truth, Unity, and Empathy. It was founded in 2022 by healthcare providers, justice activists, and volunteers concerned about the effects of the US blockade against Cuba.
ICAP’s North American Director, Leima Martinez, informed recently, that this project involves hundreds of people and organizations in solidarity against the US blockade and the hostility of their country’s Government toward Cuba.
Havana, May 20 (Prensa Latina) President Miguel Diaz-Canel, on behalf of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), the Government and the people, lamented on Monday the death of his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, in a helicopter crash.
Diaz-Canel also expressed his sorrow for the death of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other companions in the same accident.
On his X profile, the Cuban head of State described Raisi as a friend, an admirable politician, and loved by his people.
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also expressed his deepest condolences to Iran for the death of Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian, which he extended to the families and friends of the victims.
All of Cuba’s solidarity and support to the sister Islamic Republic of Iran, Rodriguez wrote on X. The authorities of the Islamic nation confirmed this Monday the death of Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and Tabriz’s Friday Prayer Imam Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem after an intense search on Sunday.
The helicopter where they were traveling had to make an emergency landing, prompting an intensive search by the Red Crescent and the country’s military and police auxiliaries, with the support of other nations, in complex weather conditions that hampered visibility.
Raisi arrived at Tabriz airport on Sunday to attend the opening ceremony of the Qiz Qalasi joint dam on the Aras River, bordering Iran and Azerbaijan, in the presence of his counterpart, Ilham Aliyev.
The head of the Islamic Republic also visited the managers of the bridge project connecting the Aras road and railway as part of the corridor between Julfa in East Azerbaijan and Kalala in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Havana, May 15 (Prensa Latina) President Miguel Díaz-Canel explained that in Cuba’s economy there is a concept of social justice, where market laws are not the ones driving development.
The head of State pointed out that although the Caribbean nation has a planned economy, which takes into account the signals of the market, “everything is very much thought in terms of the people”.
During an interview with the Spanish journalist and writer Ignacio Ramonet, published by Granma newspaper, the president pointed out that sometimes the Cuban economy is criticized from a purely economist conception, which ignores the effects of the blockade imposed on the island.
“That blockaded economy, which still does not satisfy all our needs, maintains important social conquests that today in Cuba are assumed as a right; but in many places they are still not a conquest,” he reflected.
Díaz-Canel referred to the emergence of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MIPYME), a sector that, in his opinion, will continue to expand, forming part of the network of economic stockholders “and will be a sector that will not be an enemy to the Revolution.
The president pointed out that one of the principles of the Caribbean country, as part of the socialist construction, is that the main means of production are in the hands of the State and are represented by State enterprises.
Therefore, he pointed out, the greatest weight of the economy is in the state sector, without denying the important contribution of the non-state sector.
In view of this scenario, he stressed that it is necessary to correct some distortions “in the relations between state enterprises and state entities with non-state entities, so that all of them, as part of a group of economic stockholders in our society, contribute and are inserted in the National Economic and Social Development Plan”.
He informed that the Caribbean nation is working on updating a group of norms so that these relations work more coherently and really boost the economy of the whole country from the contribution of both sectors.
Díaz-Canel explained that there is a direct attempt by the U.S. government to turn the non-state sector into a sector of opposition to the Revolution, while there are contradictions in Washington as to whether MIPYMEs are “agents of change or spawn of the Cuban State”.
In Cuba, he assured, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are part of a business fabric necessary to continue advancing in the socialist construction, “involved and committed to the National Economic and Social Development Plan, and attentive to ensure that there are no distortions in this endeavor”.
Montevideo, May 18 (Prensa Latina) Historical memory, cultural traditions, ephemeris and diversity resulted in the “All Blend” space and bridge between Uruguay and Cuba nowadays.
“All Blend” is a cycle promoted by Cuba’s Embassy to Uruguay to celebrate its first year supported by artists, intellectuals, Uruguayan institutions and Cuban residents there.
This time, the venue was provided by the Municipality of Montevideo and the backdrop was May, as the Month of Memory and homage to the dictatorship’s (1973-1985) victims, as by that time there had been thousands of detainees, almost 200 missing persons, and flagrant violations of human rights.
The testimonies of those prisoners, their faces brought by brushes, their drawings of the cells, tortures, the images of the missing have been heard in speeches or shown in paintings and videos.
Mario Paz has been in charge of music by playing the guitar and singing, in the meantime, people have recalled several times prisons as the one of Punta de Rieles, or the one of the countersense, “Libertad,” -Freedom.
On the encounter, Andres Humberto Bellizzi and Carolina Barrientos were among the honoring victims; in addition, Cuba’s Ambassador Zulan Popa praised the meeting as it united two countries separated by their geography, but bonded with Jose Marti.
Mexican Ambassador Victor Manuel Barcelo, recalled that his country’s Embassy here received and processed the assylum of 450 Uruguayans persecuted by that de facto Government at that time.
Cuba remembered May as the month that marked the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Agrarian Reform Law, which is celebrated by Cuban peasants.
Historian and writer Edel Morales, a resident here, spoke about their traditions, the Cuban peasant music, Cultural Heritage of Humanity, represented by poets whose origins are the countryside.
Cuban actress Lisandra Martin and her compatriot, writer Eldys Baratute, also referred to the progress made in respect for sexual diversity and the benefits of the Family Code in their country.
The encounter was propitious for the presentation of the young publishing house El Berretin, with works of social contents, and it was noteworthy standing out the black period of Uruguayan history.
Ottawa, May 19 (Prensa Latina) The 17th National Meeting of Cuban Residents in Canada was held in this capital over the weekend, with the participation of members of the country’s associations and guests, diplomatic sources reported on Sunday.
During the meeting, an assessment was made of the main events held so far, among which the active participation in the Bridges of Love caravans and sending donations to Cuba for sensitive sectors of society stood out. The Action Plan was projected for the current period, with the purpose of continuing to strengthen the activism of the organizations and their actions in favor of Cuba and to transfer the sense of identity and love for the homeland to the new generations.
The forum was conducive to debating on aspects of current Cuban affairs, addressing the results of the 4th “The Nation and Emigration” Conference, and a section was dedicated to conveying the most relevant information on business and investment opportunities for Cuban residents abroad.
As a result of the meeting, the Final Declaration of the associations of Cuban residents in Canada was approved, thus ratifying the will to support the homeland and the defense of its sovereignty, and condemning the unjust economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba.
Cuban Ambassador to Canada Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, and Consuls General in Toronto, Jorge Yanier Castellanos; Montreal, Susana Malmierca; and Ottawa, Mariset Vázquez, participated in the meeting as special guests.
Other members of the diplomatic staff accredited in the country also attended the event as guests, according to the website of the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
La Paz, May 19 (Prensa Latina) A new call from Bolivia against the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States against Cuba is a public mural that was unveiled in the department of La Paz on Sunday.
Coinciding with the 129th anniversary of the fall in combat of the main organizer of the Cuban independence feat against Spanish colonialism (1895-1898), José Martí (1853-1895), the artwork has made an impact on pedestrians on the highway that connects the city of La Paz with the city of El Alto.
“Come and be part of the painting of a mural in solidarity with Palestine and Cuba, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (local time),” the call that circulated for several weeks on social networks said.
The response was massive on Saturday by Graduates of the Latin American School of Medicine, members of the Guevarist Movement of Bolivia/ELN, representatives of the Communist Party of Bolivia and its youth organization and other activists affiliated with the Bolivian Movement of Solidarity with Cuba-La Paz.
The mobilization is part of a program of actions approved on April 20 at the 9th Congress of the Bolivian Movement of Solidarity with Cuba in the department of La Paz.
Activists at that forum also agreed to demand Cuba’s exclusion from the Washington’s State Sponsors of Terorrism (SSOT) unilateral list.
A new call is circulating on social networks on Sunday in a message headed by the word “Solidarity” and the intertwined flags of Cuba and Bolivia.
“In July, we will collect powdered milk for Cuban children. Join the campaign! without exclusion or discrimination,” the text says.
Havana, May 18 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez appreciated on Saturday the statements of several governments that recognize the unfair inclusion of the nation in the unilateral U.S. States Sponsoring Terrorism (SST) list.
On X, the top representative of Cuban diplomacy affirmed that in their statements those countries encourage the US administration to remove Cuba from such a list due to its devastating consequences for its population.
“Cuba does not sponsor terrorism. The international community recognizes it and the US knows it,” Rodriguez posted; in addition, the FM granted “the Cuban people, throughout the last 65 years, have been victims of terrorism, including State terrorism, used as a weapon to destroy their Revolution.”
On May 15th, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken eliminated Cuba from a list of countries that, according to the United States, “do not cooperate fully” in the fight against terrorism. However, paradoxically, this nation continues to be on the SST list.
On that occasion, Rodriguez stated that “the United States has just admitted what is known to all: that Cuba fully cooperates with the efforts against terrorism.”
“It should cease all political manipulation of the issue and put an end to our arbitrary and unjust inclusion on the States Sponsoring Terrorism list,” he pointed out on X.
Cuba was first included in that list during the Reagan Administration in 1982, but in 2015, then-President Barack Obama said that designation had no merit in the case of the nation, and withdrew it.
However, on January 12, 2021, days before leaving office, Donald Trump bequeathed to his successor Joe Biden the inclusion of Cuba on that list again, something he maintains despite the demand to rectify that position in his policy toward the nation.
Havana, May 18 (Prensa Latina) Cuba’s Foreign Ministry reaffirmed on Saturday the willingness to continue strengthening ties of friendship and cooperation with the Commonwealth of Dominica.
On X, the Foreign Ministry greeted the 28th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two Caribbean nations.
Havana and Roseau maintain ties of friendship and cooperation that are expressed in health assistance, human resources training and collaboration in other sectors, such as education and agriculture.
Dominica supports Cuba in the struggle at the United Nations and other international forums for the lifting of the US blockade on the nation for over six decades.
