Havana, 11 June 2026.—Historical, close and deeply friendly ties bind the peoples of Cuba and the nations of Asia and Oceania. This was reaffirmed on Thursday during a meeting between Esteban Lazo Hernández, member of the Political Bureau of the Party’s Central Committee and President of the National Assembly of People’s Power and the Council of State, and members of the Diplomatic Corps from this region accredited in Cuba.
During the fraternal meeting, Esteban Lazo noted that these exchanges are a tangible demonstration of the solidarity and fraternity that exist with these countries, and of the importance of inter-parliamentary ties in strengthening bilateral relations; the heads of the parliamentary friendship groups of the Cuban legislature reaffirmed this.
The diplomats from Asia and Oceania accredited in Cuba reaffirmed their backing and solidarity with our nation in the face of the economic, commercial, financial and energy blockade and in the face of the US Government’s escalating aggression.
“We will continue to stand by the Cuban people in the struggle to ensure that Cuba can continue to preserve its national independence and self-determination,” said Le Quang Long, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; whilst Fu Jie, Minister-Counsellor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, reiterated that the that the Chinese Party and people will always stand shoulder to shoulder with the Cuban Party and people.
Meanwhile, Nívio Leite Magalhães, Ambassador of Timor-Leste, expressed the solidarity of the Timorese people and called for an end to the blockade and for the removal of Cuba from the spurious list of states allegedly sponsoring terrorism.
During the event, the Vice-President of the Cuban legislature, Ana María Mari Machado, outlined the characteristics of the popular-participatory movement ‘Mi Barrio Por La Patria’; whilst José Luis Toledo Santander, Secretary of the National Assembly of People’s Power and the Council of State, provided diplomats with an update on the legislative activity of the Cuban Parliament following the proclamation of the Constitution of the Republic on 10 April 2019, and on the Cuban political system, amongst other matters of interest.
The event was also attended, on the Cuban side, by Alberto Núñez Betancourt, Chair of the Cuban Parliament’s International Relations Committee; and Ariel Lorenzo, Director for Asia and Oceania at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; amongst other MPs and guests.
(Cubaminrex-NationalAssembly of Cuba)