The Ambassador of Cuba, Pedro Luis Despaigne González, was received by the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his office at the Presidential Palace, known as Flagstaff House.
In a friendly meeting with the Cuban Ambassador and his delegation, the President of Ghana ratified the historical bilateral relationship, which have begun in 1959, two years after Ghana's independence, country which in a few days will commemorate its 60th anniversary. The Ghanaian Head of State paid tribute to the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, especially for his contribution to the independence of African countries. The President recalled his meeting with Fidel during his visit to Cuba in April 2006.
The Cuban Ambassador thanked the President of Ghana for the common position against the blockade, adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) during the 28th AU Summit held in January 2017. The Ambassador reaffirmed the permanence of the US blockade against Cuba, despite some measures taken by former US President Barack Obama. The President Nana Akufo-Addo said that Ghana will continue to support Cuba in the struggle against the blockade, and ratified that the Ghana-Cuba relationship will be strengthened.
The Cuban Ambassador informed the President of Ghana of the positive impact on health indicators of Ghana by the work of the members of the Cuban Medical Brigade, who arrived in Ghana in October 2016. The President of Ghana appreciated the work done by Cuban doctors and promised to ensure the permanence of so much appreciated support to the Ghanaian people. Both parties also discussed about future sectors of bilateral cooperation.
In the meeting, for the Ghanaian side, also participated the Director of the Americas Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Alhaji Abubakar Saiq Abdulai; the Ambassador Hassan Ahmed, Head of the State Protocol; Mr. Nana Asante Bediatuo, Secretary to the President and Matilda Mba, desk officer in charge of Cuba in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cuba´s Ambassador was accompanied by the Senior Specialist Level I, Raisa Burón Anglada, and Julio César Sánchez, First Secretary of the Embassy.