The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, received Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Minister of International Relations and Trade of the Republic of Namibia, at the Palace of the Revolution.
The president said that this visit fulfills "a long-held desire" of the former Namibian president, the Honorable Dr. Hage Geingob, whose goal was to create an intergovernmental commission between the two nations.
It is "a mechanism that we only establish with sister nations," he said. He emphasized that this visit "has several meanings: one is the continuity of historic relations, honored by the friendship between the founding father of the Republic of Namibia and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, which have continued throughout all these years."
Referring to the ties that unite Cuba and Namibia, he spoke of "close relations," "of respect, solidarity, affection, and mutual admiration."
Regarding the development of the Intergovernmental Commission, the Head of State affirmed that "it will mark a milestone in the strengthening and expansion of our relations, which are at an excellent political level and are also advancing in the economic and commercial spheres, as well as in cooperation."
"We are willing to continue expanding our collaboration in all the sectors that have been proposed in this Intergovernmental Commission: health, education, construction and water resources, biotechnology, as well as cultural, educational, and sports exchanges, welcoming Namibian students to Cuba, and in any other sector or field," he said.
He also sent greetings to Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the first female president of the Republic of Namibia. "We look forward to her visit to Cuba," he said, and to Sophia Shaningwa, secretary general of SWAPO (South West Africa People's Organization). He also thanked them for "all the support they have given us in the fight against the blockade" and in denouncing the unjust inclusion of the island on the list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism.
For her part, Ashipala-Musavyi conveyed her president's greetings to the head of state. She said that for his country's leadership, the Intergovernmental Commission represents "a very serious mechanism."
"This meeting is also a follow-up of the legacy handed down by our founding fathers Sam Nujoma and Commander Fidel Castro, and even though they are no longer with us, we continue to be educated by the teachings they left us," she insisted.
Times are difficult, she reflected, "but they also represent an opportunity for the countries of the South to unite and reject what is happening."
Also present at the meeting were the Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment (Mincex), Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga; the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gerardo Peñalver Portal; the Minister of Public Health, José Angel Portal Miranda; the Deputy Minister of Mincex, Déborah Rivas Saavedra; and the Director General of Bilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Miguel Pereira Hernández.
