Serbia-Cuba Celebrate 75 Years of Relations

Serbs and Cubans celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in an atmosphere of fraternity and joy.

The ceremony was held at the Buena Vista Café, in this capital, a cozy place uniquely decorated with profuse polychromy on the walls and photos, posters, flags, hammered iron bars and even clotheslines with clothes from the island.

It was convened by the Center for the Development of Relations of Havana and Belgrade, chaired by Dragan Kamenica, and the ambassador of Cuba in Serbia, Gustavo Tristá del Toro, who spoke about the historic event.

After referring to the importance of the date, he affirmed that Cuba and Serbia honored that decision in 1943 and began to consolidate it with the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, which gave it an incontestable impulse.

In this regard, he referred to the visit to Belgrade in August of that year by Ernesto Che Guevara in an economic mission and to the joint work of the two states in the strengthening and consolidation of the Non-Aligned Movement.

He also recalled Cuba's support for the then Yugoslavia in 1999 during the illegal bombings of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the long-standing support of Serbia to the resolution in the UN General Assembly against the US blockade and from Havana to Belgrade on the question of Kosovo.

Tristá del Todo mentioned visits to Cuba by Serbian presidents Tomislav Nikolic and Aleksandar Vucic in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

He thanked those present for commemorating the historic date and expressed his conviction that both countries will continue together in the realization of new tasks and purposes to develop their ties both in Belgrade and in Havana.

At the evening the group of Cuban and Serbian musicians Salsa y Punto performed with their vocalist and animator Raúl Pulido, and diplomats, Serbian friends of Cuba and citizens of the island residing in Belgrade participated.