Cuba and Angola Mark 50 Years of Independence and Diplomatic Relations

With a political and cultural tribute, Cuba and Angola commemorated the 50th anniversary of the African nation's independence and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in Havana today.

According to a post on the Presidency's X profile, at the beginning of the event, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, conveyed greetings and an embrace from Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution, to the members of the diplomatic corps accredited on the island.

The published thread stated that the commemoration highlighted the historic bonds of brotherhood between Cuba and Angola, forged in solidarity and shared sacrifice.

Furthermore, the text confirmed the participation of the Angolan ambassador, Carlos Cruz de Lemos Sardinha, members of the Political Bureau, Party and Government leaders, representatives of the Young Communist League, mass organizations, the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution, the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT).

The publication emphasizes that the Angolan diplomat thanked Cuba, which he described as a "second home" for many compatriots who received professional training on the island in various specialties, and acknowledged its example of solidarity towards other peoples.

Similarly, he highlighted the development achieved by his country since independence and how the sacrifice of the Cuban people was not in vain.

On the Cuban side, the source specifies, Corps General Álvaro López Miera, Minister of the FAR and a hero of the liberation struggle, spoke. He evoked pivotal moments of Operation Carlota.

In this regard, López Miera recalled that Cuban internationalists contributed not only to preserving Angola's independence from aggressions driven by imperialism but also to undermining the foundations of Apartheid, achieving the independence of Namibia, and paving the way for the emancipation of other nations in Southern Africa.

Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, also highlighted on the social network that the political and cultural tribute evoked the historical brotherhood between the two nations, the legacy of the Cuban internationalists who fulfilled revolutionary principles, as well as the sacrifice of the women and men from Cuba and the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) who fell in combat.