The Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples Awards the “Friendship Medal” to Vera Policarpou
Nicosia, Cyprus, August 12, 2026. - This Tuesday, August 11, the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) presented the Friendship Medal to Vera Policarpou, Head of International Relations and European Affairs of the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) and secretary of the Cyprus-Cuba Friendship Association, for her unwavering commitment and solidarity with Cuba and its people. The award was presented by Emilio Lozada García, Member of the Central Committee of the PCC and Head of its Department of International Relations.
In the context of the “1st International Colloquium Fidel: Legacy and Future” being held in Cuba, and in the presence of the First Vice President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, Noemí Rabaza Fernández, the distinction awarded honours the dedication and unconditional solidarity that Vera Policarpou has shared with Cuba, Fidel, its people, and its Revolution for so many years.
Very touched by the simple and moving ceremony among friends in struggle and in life, Vera expressed her gratitude by recalling her origins, her childhood, and even her family history and how her Party fundamentally influenced her, shaping her into the person she is today—a woman grateful for her education, for her connections with Cubans, and for having “Spanish as the language of her heart.”
AKEL Party Statement on the occasion of the 24th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties Held in Cuba
AKEL in Havana, Cuba, for the 24th International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties
6 August 2026, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia
AKEL is taking part in the 24th International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties, which is being held in Havana, Cuba, from 7 to 9 August, under the theme "Defending and honouring the legacy of the Cuban Revolution on the centenary of Fidel’s birth; deepening solidarity with socialist Cuba; strengthening our joint actions; and uniting our forces for peace and against imperialist aggression”.
The International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties has been taking place every year since 1998 in various countries around the world and serves as a forum for dialogue where Communist and Workers’ Parties exchange views and coordinate their joint action. AKEL will be represented by Vera Polycarpou, Head of International Relations and European Policy of AKEL and member of the Central Committee of the Party.
Cuban ambassador holds meeting with Cyprus Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection
Nicosia, Cyprus, August 6, 2026.- The Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Cyprus, Rubén Pino Martínez, was received this Thursday -on a courtesy visit- by the Head of Migration and International Protection of the Republic of Cyprus, Dr. Nicholas A. Ioannides, at the headquarters of the said deputy ministry.
During the fruitful meeting, the Cuban diplomat thanked Nicholas A. Ioannides for the warm welcome, especially at this busy time and amidst a tight schedule full of various commitments within the government program. Pino Martínez also expressed his gratitude for the repeated support and solidarity that the government and people of Cyprus have shown to Cuba over many years, for their firm stance against the blockade imposed by the United States, and for Cyprus's backing of the lifting of that unjust and criminal policy.
The diplomat was able to fill him in on the current situation in Cuba, regarding the energy blockade and the collective punishment that the largest of the Antilles is currently experiencing; the same country that today cannot receive more than 7,000 containers held up in various ports across the Caribbean, amidst so many urgent needs, due to the restrictive and unilateral measures imposed on Cuba and third countries, stemming from that monstrosity of a genocidal blockade.
Vera Policarpou will attend the 1st International Fidel Colloquium: Legacy and Future, representing Cyprus
Nicosia, Cyprus, August 5, 2026.- On the morning of this Wednesday, Vera Policarpou, Head of International Relations and European Affairs of the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) and secretary of the Cyprus-Cuba Friendship Association, departed for Cuba. She will participate as a representative of the Mediterranean island in the “1st International Fidel Colloquium: Legacy and Future,” an event organized on the occasion of the Centenary of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution.
Charged with emotions and multiple expectations for the event and, one hundred years after the birth of Fidel Castro Ruz, the Commander in Chief continues to be for Vera and for many compatriots of Cyprus whom she represents, a source of inspiration and "that beacon of anti-colonial thought, of resistance and of struggle for a more just world". as is the Call for the event that will welcome them in the capital of all Cubans, from August 10 to 13 of this year.
Because “his legacy challenges us in the present and illuminates the paths of the future,” with this motivation, the Fidel Castro Ruz Center, together with Cuban academic and cultural institutions, will host at the Cuba Convention Palace “historians, political scientists, economists, sociologists, legal experts, researchers, politicians, diplomats, journalists, information science specialists, professors, students, artists, social leaders, committees of solidarity with Cuba, and friends of the Cuban Revolution from around the world, who will gather in a space for critical and plural debate on the contributions of Fidel Castro Ruz to contemporary thought.”
The Cypriot newspaper Haravgi highlights on its front page and article the historical legacy of the Moncada uprising in 1953.
Nicosia, Cyprus, July 28, 2026. The Cypriot newspaper “Haravgi” featured on its front page and central pages this Tuesday, July 28, the historical legacy of the 73rd anniversary of the assault on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks on July 26, 1953, which became the National Rebellion Day in Cuba. The article reproduces an overview of the historical event commemorated in a political ceremony held last July 23 at the Cuban Embassy in Nicosia, attended by diplomats, representatives of political forces and friendly associations, supporters of Cuba, and Cubans residing in Cyprus, in a sincere tribute to the Moncada action.
Haravgi reviews the speech of MP and member of the Secretariat and Political Bureau of the AKEL Party, Aristos Damianou, in tribute to the action of July 26, 1953, and in shared homage to the centenary of the birth of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz.
The historic legacy of Moncada was commemorated in Nicosia — the Cuban Embassy and AKEL paid tribute to the 73rd anniversary of July 26.