Ottawa, January 30, 2018- On January 29, the Embassy of Cuba in Ottawa hosted a Reception to commemorate the 59th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution and bid farewell to Ambassador Julio Garmendía Peña and his wife, Miraly González, who will be returning to Cuba after a successful term in office for almost five years.
In his farewell address to over 300 people, outgoing Ambassador highlighted the main achievements on the bilateral agenda throughout his tenure and described PM Justin Trudeau´s visit to Cuba in November 2016 as the most significant event. The Cuban diplomat availed himself of the opportunity to express his gratitude to the Canadian authorities for their support in the performance of his responsibilities. He also commended his staff´s role in fulfilling the mandates of the diplomatic mission in Ottawa and at the Cuban Consulates General in Montreal and Toronto.
On behalf of the Canadian government, Ms. Celine Caesar-Chavannes, Parliamentary Secretary for International Development, spoke highly of the good state of Canada-Cuba bilateral relations and their prospects.
In an emotional speech, Senator Pierrete Ringuette, Co-Chair of the Canada-Cuba Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, emphasized on the friendship ties between the two peoples and governments and praised Ambassador Garmendía Peña for his work in strengthening these bonds. Former Canadian Ambassador to Havana, Mr. Mark Entwistle, also made some remarks.
Among the invited guests were Mr. Anthony Rota, Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons; Mr. Jean-Stephane Bernard, Deputy Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie of Québec; Mr. David Morrison, Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, among other senior officials from the Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Parliament of Canada.
Speaking to a large number of Cuban residents from many Canadian regions – who joined the diplomatic staff that evening – the outgoing envoy acknowledged their faithfulness to their Homeland and deep attachment to their Cuban roots. Friends of Cuba and members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Canada also attended the Reception.