The Cuban president was received on Wednesday morning by his Belarusian counterpart at the Minsk Palace of Independence, later visiting several sites in the city and meeting with Cubans resident in Belarus.
Describing him as a dear friend, Belarusian President greeted Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, during an official welcome ceremony held at the Palace of Independence, a beautiful building which has served as the government seat since 2013.
In his first words, Lukashenko referred to the last 25 years “of the history of the heroic revolutionary Cuba,” calling our nation a faithful ally and friend.
After official talks, the delegations signed several agreements: a memorandum of understanding between the two ministries of Justice to provide a legal framework for cooperation; a collaborative development program between Cuba’s Ministry of Higher Education and that of Belarus; plus a scientific-technical cooperation and innovation program.
In addition, an agreement between the news agency Prensa Latina and the Belarusian agency, Belta was updated; and a joint statement from the two Presidents was presented, synthesizing the results of their meeting, directed toward continuing the development of relations in the political, commercial, economic, industrial, agricultural, educational, and scientific-technological arenas.
President Díaz-Canel thanked Lukashenko for the support of Belarus in opposing the U.S. blockade, aggravated recently with further financial persecution and brutal sanctions on ships carrying fuel to Cuban ports.
Accompanying Díaz-Canel in Minsk, were Council of Ministers Vice President Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz; the ministers of Foreign Trade and Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, and that of Agriculture, Gustavo Rodríguez Rollero; the president of the Central Bank of Cuba, Irma Martínez Castrillón; BioCubaFarma executive, Eduardo Martínez Díaz; and deputy ministers of Foreign Affairs and Public Health, Rogelio Sierra Díaz and Marcia Cobas Ruiz, respectively.
(Granma)