Salvador Valdés Mesa, a vice president of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers arrived yesterday, November 10, in Luanda, leading the country’s delegation to the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Angola’s independence.
Valdés Mesa was received at the airport by Agriculture Minister Pedro Canga and subsequently by the President of Angola’s National Assembly Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos.
He commented to the press, following the meeting, that the Cuban delegation was responding to an invitation sent to President Raúl Castro to participate in the festivities, saying, “We are two peoples who collaborated, struggled for the independence of this country, for its self-determination. We feel the anniversary of a day like this as our own.”
Valdés Mesa conveyed greetings from the president of Cuba’s National Assembly, Esteban Lazo, and from the leadership of the Communist Party, the government and people of Cuba to the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, its government and people.
He likewise noted the coincidence that on November 15, this year, the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries is being celebrated as well, noting that the relationship has been characterized by “solidarity, collaboration and brotherhood between the two peoples.”
Also participating in the Cuban delegation to Angola are Division General Antonio Enrique Lussón, a Council of Ministers vice president; Brigadier General (R) Rafael Moracén; Deputy Foreign Minister Ana Teresita González; and Gisela García, Cuba’s ambassador in Luanda.
(Granma)