Cuba and Swiss expressed their desire to advance in the strengthening of their bilateral relations, which already have a long history of friendship and cooperation, said in Havana on Monday chancellors of both nations.
The owner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex) of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, received Ignazio Cassis, federal councilor and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation, whom he thanked for the official visit, according to a report from the Prensa Latina (PL) agency.
In official talks with @ignaziocassisFederal Councilor of Switzerland and Chief of @SwissMFAwe emphasized the 120 years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations ????.
We exchanged on the development of cooperative links and economic & commercial opportunities. pic.twitter.com/5rgw8278hU
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) April 10, 2023
For his part, the European diplomat thanked the warm welcome and expressed his intention to verify Cuba’s efforts to develop, despite the adversities in the economic sphere, the newspaper added.
Cassis recognized that his country “is very close to Cuba in the promotion of various mutual cooperation programs” and expressed his desire to contribute more to the development of the Antillean nation, which has a vast cultural richness, the outlet specified.
For his part, Rodríguez Parrilla characterized relations with the Swiss nation as “harmonious, respectful, productive and mutually enriching in the cultural, academic and scientific spheres”.
He also stressed that Switzerland is a peace-loving nation and this fact is significant for Latin America, which has proposed to maintain a peaceful climate in the area.
Before the meeting, Cassis participated in the ceremony of laying a wreath at the statue of the Cuban National Hero, José Martí, in the 13 de Marzo park in Havana, and in addition to holding talks with local authorities, he will carry out other activities of interest as part of its agenda, highlights the agency..
The visit is the first by a Swiss Federal Councilor and takes place in the context of a tour that will take the head of Swiss diplomacy to the United States and Mexico.
Tomorrow Foreign Minister @ignaziocassis??travels to #America ?
Diary:
?? Visit the Foreign Minister in #Havana
?? World Bank Group Spring Meetings in #WashingtonDC
?? Assessment after the reopening of the Consulate General in #ChicagoMore info ?https://t.co/lnRYEAlGd2 pic.twitter.com/n1IoPjpVM2
—Swiss MFA (@SwissMFA) April 6, 2023
PL recalls that diplomatic relations between Cuba and Switzerland were established in 1902 and that since 1918 that Central European nation has a representation in Havana.
