"We welcome this visit with a sense of satisfaction, especially during the complex moment we are currently experiencing as a result of the blockade and the energy siege imposed by the United States—factors that are impacting our economic, social, and family life," stated President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez during a meeting at the Palace of the Revolution with Moussa Batraki, Secretary General of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), who is currently on an official visit to our country.
The President highlighted the spirit of friendship and support that accompanies this visit, which gives it even greater significance in a context where the United States employs pressure and blackmail to prevent any ties with our country, as part of its strategy of economic isolation.
The Head of State also expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support from OACPS members for the Cuban resolution against the blockade, which was recently approved at the United Nations.
Díaz-Canel reaffirmed to his guest Cuba’s interest in supporting the OACPS: "We are committed to the programs you are promoting and to the efforts to mobilize all resources in favor of sustainable development—addressing inequality, poverty, and climate change—as well as to defending the organization’s foundational principles, particularly the principles of cooperation, which align with those of the Cuban Revolution." The Secretary-General of the OACPS, Moussa Batraki, conveyed greetings from the other 78 member states that make up the organization he leads—members who, he noted, "support Cuba, without a shadow of a doubt."
He further emphasized: "We must commend the government and the people of Cuba for their resilience, their capacity to reinvent themselves, and the endurance they have demonstrated."
During the cordial meeting, the distinguished visitor remarked: "It is an honor to be here with you, for it is in difficult times that one learns who one’s true friends are."
Moussa Batraki arrived on October 28th, and his official visit will continue through October 31th. During his stay in Havana, the OACPS Secretary-General has followed an intensive agenda, including meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, as well as with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
His schedule also includes visits to Cuban scientific and healthcare institutions, as well as to the headquarters of the National Assembly of People's Power.
