H. E Dr. Bhofal Chambers, Speaker of the House of Representative of the Republic of Liberia.
H. E Mr. Milton Gbezhongar Findley, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia.
H. E Professor Ansu D. Sonii, Minister of Education of the Republic of Liberia.
Members of the Cabinet
Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia
Former officials of the Liberian government,
Members of the Cuba-Liberia Friendship Association
Members of the Liberian press here present
Dear guest, Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to start by expressing my deepest appreciation for your presence here today in this special occasion when Cuba and Liberia celebrates the 44th anniversary of the establishment of the Diplomatic Relation between our countries.
I take this opportunity to reiterate on behalf of the Embassy, the government and people of the Republic of Cuba, congratulations to the President of Liberia, H.E. George Weah and the Vice President Mrs. Jewel Howard-Taylor for their electoral victory and their inaugurations in their respective positions.
Likewise, I reiterate the congratulations to the Minister and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia for their appointments in said positions. I also congratulate the other members of the government elected or appointed for this new and important period in Liberian history.
On April 19, 1974, Cuba and Liberia agreed to establish diplomatic relations at the Ambassador level and since then our relations have been characterized by cordiality and mutual support on issues of the international agenda.
Although the presence of a Cuban diplomatic mission in Liberia has suffered some interruptions for well-justified reasons in these more than 40 years, the diplomatic relations between our nations have never been broken, a sign of the mutual will to maintain the fraternal bonds that unite us since 1974.
Among the most important events in our bilateral relations are the visits to Cuba by the former Liberian Chancellor, Charles Cecil Denis, to attend the meeting of the Bureau of the Non Aligned Movement Coordination in 1978 and the following year to participate in the VI Summit of that organization held in Havana.
In the year 2000, the former Deputy Minister of MINREX, Ángel Dalmau, visited Liberia, who was received by former President Charles Taylor.
Another relevant moment of the bilateral ties was the visit to Cuba of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia, Mr. George W. Wallace, on the occasion of the XIV Summit Conference of the Non Aligned Movement in September 2006.
More recent in time and one of the most relevant episodes of Cuban collaboration with Liberia, was the arrival of the Cuban Medical Brigade "Henry Reeve" as part of the group of 256 Cuban doctors who supported the fight against the Ebola epidemic in West Africa at the end of 2014.
In October of that year, 53 Cuban medical specialists arrived in Liberia for six months, under the auspices of the World Health Organization, supporting the efforts of the Liberian government and other international stakeholders to eradicate this terrible disease that unfortunately claimed more than 4 thousand Liberians life.
On that same date, the Cuban government decided to open a Diplomatic Office in Monrovia and appointed a Charge d'Affaires a.i. Subsequently, and as a sign of my government's desire to strengthen relations with Liberia, in November 2015, Cuba decided to reopen its Embassy in Liberia and appointed a permanent Charge d'Affaires.
The former Director General of Bilateral Affairs of MINREX, Gerardo Peñalver Portal, made an official visit to Liberia in December 2016 and had fruitful conversations with government leaders, including the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Marjon Kamara. As part of the visit, the Cuban official presided over the official reopening of the Cuban Embassy in Monrovia on December 9th, 2016.
In the history of our bilateral ties and as part of the historical relations of friendship and collaboration between Cuba and Africa, the government of Cuba has granted to Liberia about 35 scholarships for free studies in different specialties. Today some of those fruits of bilateral collaboration are here with us. They contribute with their work to the development of their native land. On the other hand, currently 5 young Liberians are studying medicine for free in Cuba and 2 others will join them this year.
Cuba will always appreciate the support of the Liberian government in the fight against the criminal and unjust economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against our people. The blockade of the US against Cuba continues in force and is the main obstacle to the development of the economy and all the potentialities of the Cuban people. We also express our gratitude to Liberia for its support to our country in other multilateral issues.
Today I reaffirm the will of the Cuban government to continue strengthening bilateral ties with Liberia and supporting the recovery of the country's health system, as well as exploring other areas of cooperation for the benefit of both peoples.
H.E. Speaker Chambers;
Dear guest;
This commemoration coincides with the 57th Anniversary of the Cuban victory against the mercenary invasion of Playa Girón, financed and organized by the US government, which took place on a day like today in 1961. That invasion had the overwhelming response of the Cubans revolutionary forces that in less than 72 hours led to the first US military defeat in Latin America and the Caribbean.
On April 16th, 1961 as a prelude to the invasion, US airplanes bombed the Cuban air bases of Ciudad Libertad, San Antonio de los Baños and Santiago de Cuba, which left many innocent victims. In the act celebrated that day for honoring the victims of this cruel bombing, Commander Fidel proclaimed the socialist character of the nascent Cuban Revolution.
Coincidentally also, yesterday took place the last step in the Cuban General Elections that started on September last year for the democratic election of Municipal and Provincial delegates and the deputies of the National Assembly of People´s Power.
With an average participation of more than 87% of Cuban voters and more than 93% of the valid votes, the recent elections in Cuba demonstrated the support of the majority of the Cuban people to the Cuban political system, as well as their commitment to continue the legacy of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz.
Yesterday, the Cuban Deputies, in representation of the Cuban people, elected the leadership of the new Cuban National Assembly and the members of the Council of State, including its President who is in our case the President of the Republic.
The leadership of the National Assembly was ratified, headed by its President, Mr. Esteban Lazo Hernández.
On the other hand, honoring the express will of the Commander Raúl Castro Ruz, who reiterated his decision not to assume again the position of President of Cuba, his name was not include as a candidate for that position.
Consequently, I have the great honor to announce officially the election of Mr. Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez as the new President of the Councils of State and Ministers of the Republic of Cuba that means Head of State and Government. Mr. Díaz-Canel Bermúdez served as First Vice President of the Councils of State and Ministers during the last 5 years and several other previous responsibilities within the government and the Cuban Communist Party.
The new Cuban President expressed today that “the Cuban foreign policy will remain unchanged and Cuba will not retreat in any of its principles because of blackmail or external pressures”. He also said “the Cuban Revolution continues and will continue alive”.
Mr. Salvador Valdés Mesa was elected as First Vice President of the Councils of State and Ministers.
In this historical moment, I have to say that the new Cuban leadership represents the continuity of the Cuban Revolution by the new generations of Cubans. In that sense, Cubans will continue the process of improvement of our economic-and social system, with the objective of building a more prosperous, democratic and sustainable Nation for our people.
Cuba will continue demanding the end of the blockade imposed by the government of the USA against our country, until its complete elimination, as well as the return to Cuba of the territory illegally occupied by the US government in Guantánamo.
Cuba also will remain committed with the international solidarity, and with the legacy of historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.
With the support of the Cuban people, we will continue resisting any external attempt to destroy the Cuban Revolution.
Now I have the pleasure of inviting you to watch a video that summarizes the main moments of Cuba-Liberia bilateral relations in the last 4 years.
Before that, I ask you to join me in a toast for the health of the presidents of Cuba and Liberia and for the relations between our governments and peoples to last forever.
Thank you very much for your attention. (CUBAMINREX/EMBACUBA LIBERIA)