London, September 7, 2020 - The Cuban Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Barbara Elena Montalvo Álvarez, and Aurora Fernández González, PhD., Advisor to the Minister of Higher Education, inaugurated today the 23rd Cuba Research Forum Annual Conference, to be held online on September 7 and 8 in this capital city under the slogan "60 years of the Revolution: Reflections and interdisciplinary views on its society and culture".
Sponsored by the Centre for Research on Cuba, of the University of Nottingham, the Forum brings together prestigious academics and intellectuals from the United Kingdom, Cuba, and other parts of the world.
Welcoming the participants, the Cuban diplomat thanked the organizers for holding the forum, despite the current adverse circumstances, and encouraged them to stay in touch and continue their work with the passion they have always shown. The Ambassador encouraged the young researchers to consider "the valuable legacy" that this Forum and the Centre for Research on Cuba have built, to give it continuity.
Montalvo highlighted that the Centre not only organizes the annual Forum but also carries out postgraduate workshops on Cuba in Europe; it promotes research on our country and the contact between the respective universities and research centres, as well as the creation of Forums for the study of Cuba.
"In the opening of events such as this one, it is common to conclude by wishing the greatest success to its participants. In my case, it is not necessary. The guarantee of success is the value and experience of all of you," she concluded.
The Deputy Minister of Higher Education, on her part, offered an update on the current situation in Cuba, with emphasis on the fight against the pandemic, and on the important role that science, and particularly Cuban biotechnology, has played in it. Likewise, she highlighted that the aforementioned reflects the close relationship between government management and science in Cuba, which is strengthened to achieve the objectives of the Annual Development Plan of the nation despite the difficulties that the blockade against the country entails.