Cuba and Azerbaijan "are in a position to continue strengthening, expanding, and deepening our relations," said Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Republic, highlighting the visit of Tahir Budagov, Vice President and Head of the Central Office of the New Azerbaijan Party, whom he received on Tuesday afternoon at the Palace of the Revolution.
The Head of State described the visit as a milestone for relations between the Communist Party of Cuba and the New Azerbaijan Party, and for the two countries. He sent warm greetings to the leader of the Azerbaijani political organization and President of the Republic, Ilham Aliyev, "our friend," he said, to whom he sent an invitation to visit Cuba when his schedule allows.
During the meeting, the Azerbaijani leader conveyed to Díaz-Canel greetings from President Aliyev and an invitation from him to his Cuban counterpart to visit this country in the south-eastern Caucasus again.
Tahir Budagov recalled Díaz-Canel's visit to Baku in October 2019 to participate in the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, when he held a fruitful exchange with his colleague Aliyev, while expressing the desire for greater rapprochement between the two countries. The Cuban president referred to the historic nature of bilateral relations and the bonds of brotherhood between our peoples. He emphasized that these ties are based on the legacy of the historic leaders of our countries, founding president Heydar Aliyev and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.
Díaz-Canel expressed the political will to continue strengthening inter-party relations between both organizations and for these to become an important basis for bilateral ties, boosting economic and trade relations and strengthening links at the highest level.
Díaz-Canel thanked Azerbaijan for its historic position in supporting Cuba's resolution at the UN against the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade and against the inclusion of the island on the list of states allegedly sponsoring terrorism. He addressed areas of common interest between the two nations and highlighted the impetus that the Exchange and Collaboration Agreement signed between the Communist Party of Cuba and the New Azerbaijan Party can provide in this regard.
Both parties agreed that this agreement opens a new stage in the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two political organizations, governments, and peoples.
CONSOLIDATING RELATIONS BETWEEN PARLIAMENTS
Prior to the meeting, Esteban Lazo Hernández, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Party, president of the National Assembly of People's Power and of the Council of State, received Tahir Budagov at the National Capitol, where both agreed on the importance of continuing to strengthen relations between the parties, parliaments, governments, and peoples of Cuba and Azerbaijan.
For his part, Tahir Budagov expressed solidarity with our country in the face of the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa, while thanking Cuba for its internationalist contribution with a Medical Brigade from the Henry Reeve Contingent, which collaborated in the fight against COVID-19 in his nation.
He also highlighted Fidel's legacy as "a symbol of invincibility and strength; a man always ready to sacrifice himself for his people and his country."
Both parties reaffirmed their mutual interest in expanding ties between the two legislative bodies, which have been strengthened in recent times following visits by the Vice President of the National Assembly of People's Power, Ana María Mari Machado, to Azerbaijan in 2022 to participate in the meeting of the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM); and by Sahiba Gafarova, President of the Parliament of Azerbaijan, to Havana in September 2023.
