Valdés, who heads the Cuban delegation to the sovereign’s funeral, also signed the book of condolences opened by the UK Foreign Ministry at Lancaster House, a diplomatic source reported.

The vice president of the Caribbean island will also attend the reception that the new King Carlos III will offer this Sunday to the foreign leaders and dignitaries invited to the funeral honors of his mother, scheduled to be held tomorrow, Monday, at Westminster Abbey.

The Cuban delegation is made up of the Cuban ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Bárbara Montalvo, and the director of the Europe and Canada department of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Gisela García.

After the death of Isabel II, President Miguel Díaz-Canel conveyed his sorrow to the heir to the crown and new monarch, and to the rest of the royal family and to the British people and government.

Likewise, the Cuban president decreed an official day of mourning, and the Cuban Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, signed the book of condolences opened at the residence of the United Kingdom ambassador in Havana.

The United Kingdom and Cuba established diplomatic relations 120 years ago, and the current British monarch visited the Caribbean island in March 2019, along with his wife Camila, who is now the queen consort.

(With information from Prensa Latina)

As of November, Blue Diamond will begin to manage this facility, located a few meters from the National Capitol, the Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Havana and the Paseo del Prado.

The Director of Communication of Blue Diamond in Cuba, Miguel García, showed his satisfaction for the task this Saturday. In this regard, he commented that the Inglaterra was inaugurated on December 23, 1875, and welcomed important guests on its way, such as the actresses Sarah Bernhardt and María Félix, the dancer Anna Pavlova, the poets Rubén Darío and Julián del Casal, or the singers Enrico Caruso, Argentine Empire and José Mujica.

The playwrights Federico García Lorca and Jacinto Benavente, the athletes José Raúl Capablanca (famous Cuban chess player), the British politician Winston Churchill and the bullfighter Luis Mazzantini also stayed at that establishment.

Its famous Acera del Louvre has been transformed over the decades into the ideal place to observe the hustle and bustle of this Havana area, while enjoying a cocktail to the beat of Cuban music. Due to its architectural, cultural and historical values, it is classified as a National Monument of Cuba.

García also recalled that the hotel company has been managing the Royalton Habana Paseo del Prado hotel since this month, and by September -after a capital repair process- the Regis will also begin operating, under the Mystique brand, aimed at the Adults Only segment.

He also referred to the resort of Cayo Largo, where Blue Diamond will exclusively operate several hotels and villas owned by the Cuban group Gran Caribe, as well as the network of shops and gastronomic services.

On October 31, Cayo Largo will receive the first international flight after the COVID-19 restrictions, with passengers from Italy.

With marked growth in products and services in recent years, Blue Diamond also has accommodations in Varadero, Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Santa María, Jibacoa and Trinidad.

(With information from Prensa Latina)

The Governments of Cuba and the United Kingdom promote projects and actions against COVID-19 on the island, according to a note released by the British embassy.

According to the text, seven small-scale projects and actions are being carried out in Cuba with funds from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development to increase health resilience, support research on vaccines and drugs, and mitigate the economic impact.

“Cooperation between countries is essential in responding to the challenges posed by COVID-19. In addition to putting the world’s health systems to the test, the pandemic has impacted our economies,” said the British ambassador to Cuba. Antony Stokes.

These projects promote bilateral collaboration in these two key areas, the diplomat acknowledged.

To that end, the embassy supports the Cuban Neuroscience Center (Cneuro) in its effort to optimize diagnoses and treatments that minimize brain damage caused by the new coronavirus.

Likewise, the institution is working on a better treatment of respiratory deficits related to COVID-19 and will implement a protocol for the assimilation and use of CPAP devices (non-invasive ventilators), based on a design by University College London.

“Both projects are innovative investigations within the portfolio of projects aimed at combating Covid-19 in Cuba, and an important resource to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of current and future diseases,” said Dr. Mitchel Valdés, director of Cneuro.

The mission also collaborates with the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in the clinical trial of an immunopotentiator , the development of serological tests for the detection of antigens and the effect of the antiviral CIGB300 in patients with COVID-19.

(With information from Prensa Latina)

Given the urgency of the situation and the risk to the lives of the sick passengers, the Cuban government has decided to allow the docking of this vessel and will adopt established sanitary measures to receive all citizens on board, in accordance with protocols established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Cuban Ministry of Public Health.

In conjunction with British authorities, arrangements have been made, once the travelers arrive, for their safe and immediate return to the United Kingdom on charter flights.

These are times of solidarity, of understanding health as a human right, of strengthening international cooperation to face our common challenges, values that are key to the humanist practices of the Revolution and of our people.

Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Havana, March 16, 2020

During the cordial meeting, they discussed the positive state of bilateral relations shard by their countries, based on cooperation and mutual respect.

They also agreed on the desire to develop ties in areas such as education, health, culture, environmental protection, and sustainable development.The distinguished visitor was accompanied by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the United Nations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Commonwealth; His Excellency Mr. Antony Stokes, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Cuba; as well as Hugo Shorter, Foreign Ministry director for the Americas and the Commonwealth; and Scott Furssedonn-Wood, private secretary of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.On the Cuban side, also participating were Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla; Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz; the Foreign Ministry’s general director for Bilateral Affairs, Emilio Lozada García; and Cuba’s ambassador in the United Kingdom, Teresita Vicente Sotolongo.

(Granma)

Prince Charles of Wales and his spouse, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, arrived in Havana Sunday afternoon, on a first official visit to Cuba by members of the British royal family. Deputy Foreign Minister Ana Teresita González accompanied them to the José Martí Monument and Memorial in the Plaza de la Revolución.

The visit will include talks with the President of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and is indicative of the positive relations shared by Cuba and the United Kingdom, first established in 1902, and which both countries are interested in strengthening in all arenas, including energy, agriculture, health, and education.

In 2016, then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Philip Hammond, made a visit to Cuba, the first conducted by a high-ranking British authority since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution.

Likewise, President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez made a stop in London during his international tour of November, 2018, and held various meetings, including one with current Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond.

Cuba also recognizes the United Kingdom’s traditional support to the Cuban resolution against the U.S. blockade, presented every year in the United Nations General Assembly, and appreciates the positive role the country has played in the development of a constructive and respectful relationship between Cuba and the European Union.

(Granma)

He held a meeting with the Cuba Initiative group which emerged in 1995, as a result of the friendship between baroness Young and Fidel, to establish a constructive dialogue between the United Kingdom and Cuba.

David Maxim Triesman, co-president of the organization, shared the group’s intention to re-launch its efforts, “injecting new energy.”

He recalled the founding of the Initiative, which, he said, marked the beginning of a new, stronger relationship between business, education, culture, and sports with the Cuban government and other institutions.
Díaz-Canel also visited Westminster to interact with British Parliamentarians and later held a cordial meeting with Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

During the evening, he met with activists from the Cuba Solidarity Campaign and trade union representatives, commenting, “We are here to reiterate to the British government that we will make an effort to increase and expand our ties.”

He reaffirmed that the U.S. blockade is the greatest obstacle to relations between the two countries and thanked the British government for its support of Cuba’s struggle against the hostile U.S. policy.

The Cuban President concluded, “What we have felt during this brief stay and these meetings is friendship and affection.”

The Cuba Initiative was founded more than 20 years ago, as one of the three membership organisations of the Caribbean Council, “in response to a request from the Governments of the United Kingdom and Cuba for an independent, bi-lateral, non-governmental body able to support and develop programmes that enhance the UK/Cuban relationship,” according to the Caribbean Council website.

The Cuba Initiative fosters a closer economic, trade and investment relationship, to deliver a sustained increase in trade and investment in all sectors.

During the exchange, with the participation of other members of the organization, González expressed the interest to continue deepening bilateral economic relations, friendship and cooperation ties between Cuba and the UK.

She stressed that Cuba’s Foreign Investment Law and the establishment of the Mariel Special Zone of Development (ZEDM) provide greater opportunities for progress in economic/commercial relations.

The Cuban official also tweeted about the meeting, which she described as useful, and reiterated the commitment to continue developing and promoting economic/commercial relations and investment.

González also toured the Palace of Westminster with Lord Triesman and Cuban Ambassador to the United Kingdom Teresita Vicente Sotolongo.

As part of this stop of her tour of European and Central Asian nations, the diplomat also spoke with Sir Simon McDonald, Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The two officials highlighted the mutual will to advance ties.

The day before, the Deputy Foreign Minister met with Rob Miller, director of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, and members of this national organization, and expressed her gratitude for their efforts in support of the island.

At the London headquarters of the UK’s largest union, UNITE, González also spoke with trade union leaders and members.

The next stop of the Deputy Minister’s tour will be Iceland, followed by Ireland. She previously visited Belarus, Georgia, Poland, Turkey and Uzbekistan, where she likewise noted the excellent ties with Cuba and the will to extend them.

(With information from Prensa Latina)