The Cuban government granted this Thursday the Order Jose Martithe highest distinction given on the Island, to the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, who is visiting Havana.
“The honor that the José Martí order represents falls not only on me, but on the people of the Caribbean and of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,” said Gonsalves upon receiving the distinction, quoted by the agency EFE.
Previously, the San Vicente politician, one of Cuba’s closest allies in the Caribbean region, placed floral offerings before the monument to the National Hero of Cuba, José Martí, in the Plaza de la Revolución, and was received by President Miguel Díaz- canel, who I had described it on Twitter as “a brother and companion of struggles and ideas” upon his arrival this Wednesday.
During the meeting, both heads of state stated the purpose of “continuing to deepen bilateral ties”. In addition, Díaz-Canel thanked Gonsalves for his support for the island in the face of the United States embargo and his position of not attending the IX Summit of the Americas, given the presumed exclusion of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela by Washington.
The Cuban President He assured his Vincentian counterpart that awarding him the José Martí Order was “a tribute to his life, to his unconditional friendship with the Island.”
Cuba distinguished the endearing friend with the José Martí National Order.
In official talks, @DiazCanelB He had assured him that granting him that decoration, the highest imposed by the Cuban State, is a tribute to his life, to his unconditional friendship with the Island. pic.twitter.com/MQt0G0HeLr
— Cuba Presidency ?? (@PresidenciaCuba) May 26, 2022
Gonsalves’ visit is framed in the context of the 30th anniversary, this May 26, of the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries. Furthermore, the Caribbean leader He was the first of the Heads of State and Government to arrive in Havana to participate in the XXI Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) that will meet this Friday.
The presidents of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia, Nicolás Maduro, Daniel Ortega and Luis Arce, respectively, have confirmed their attendance at the meeting. The meeting will take place a few days before the controversial Summit of the Americas, which will be held from June 6 to 10 in the US city of Los Angeles.
Washington’s decision to exclude Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, on the grounds that they are not democratic, has been questioned by the governments of nations in the area, including Mexico, Bolivia, Honduras, Chile and several Caribbean countries such as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Given this scenario, President Díaz-Canel assured this Thursday what “in no case” I would go to the meeting in Los Angeles.
EFE / OnCuba
