Montreal, September 5 – Cuban Ambassador to Canada, H.E. Mrs. Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, was received on Tuesday afternoon by Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante at the Montreal City Hall.
During the cordial meeting, they reaffirmed the strong friendship bonds that exist between the peoples of Cuba and Quebec, especially with the City of Montreal, and reiterated their interest in further expand, diversify and deepen these ties. Both officials acknowledged the important role of the Quebec Representation Office, attached to the Canadian Embassy in Havana, in attaining this objective. Mayor Valérie Plante expressed her Office´s willingness to support initiatives designed to promote Cuban culture in Montreal.
Ambassador Josefina Vidal highlighted some of the projects that Cuba and Quebec have conducted over the last years, which have been consolidated after the signing of the Joint Declaration by the Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie of Quebec and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment of Cuba. The Cuban diplomat referred to other topics, including the intensification of the blockade imposed by the US against Cuba for over six decades, and the ongoing popular consultation on the draft new Cuban constitution. After the meeting, Ambassador Josefina Vidal was called upon to sign the City´s Golden Book.
The meeting was attended by the Director of International Relations, Mr. Henri-Paul Normandin, and Stéphanie Jecrois, Counsellor of International Relations at the Montreal Mayor’s Office.
Cuban Ambassador was accompanied by Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Cuba, Giuvel Orozco Ortega, and the Cuban Consul General in Montreal, Mara Bilbao Díaz.