Nicosia, Cyprus, October 11, 2026. The Cuban ambassador to Cyprus, Rubén Pino Martínez, participated in the opening day as well as in other parts of the programme of the eleventh edition of the Nicosia Book Festival 2026, held this past weekend in the central area of Akropolis Park, in Strovolos, in this capital.
The Cuban Embassy was invited by the Promitheas Research Institute of Nicosia, one of the main organisers of this annual celebration of culture and books in Cyprus, an event also sponsored by the Municipality of Strovolos, dedicated this year especially to Spain as the “Guest of Honour" country, whose editorial and artistic presence featured an important and attractive representation of the Iberian nation from the very beginning of the festival's opening programme.
“For a few days, a park becomes a library without walls. Books come off the shelves, writers meet readers, children discover stories, and literature becomes conversation (…) It's not just about showing others who we are, but about being curious to get to know each other.”
This was how the participation of the Iberian nation was described by Her Excellency, the Ambassador of Spain to the island, Mrs. Mercedes Alonso Frayle, who highlighted the value of reading and the “complicit” approach to Spanish and world literature, with the unquestionable support of the Cervantes Institute of Spain in Nicosia in this edition; without a doubt, another positive and encouraging experience shared through the new contributions of contemporary cultural diplomacy.
“For this reason,” the H.E. stated, “on behalf of the Embassy of Spain, I would like to thank Nicosia Bookfest and the Goethe Institute, as well as Promitheas, for inviting us and, above all, the readers. Because writers can write, publishers can publish books, and we can organize festivals, but none of that makes sense without a reader. And every time a reader opens a book, another journey begins; maybe they cross another sea. Thank you very much.”
Spain came with a very unique and attractive publishing representation, with interesting proposals for the children’s audience —one of the generational sectors of the Cypriot audience with the largest participation in this type of event—, where organizers, publishing houses, authors, and attendees in general—once again, fortunately!—bet on not letting that charm and passion for reading die, nor the direct contact with the best representatives of world literature and literature in Spanish (today spoken by more than 600 million people in the world), and all of this, through the direct touch with the pages of a book.
Embassy of Cuba in Cyprus.