Cuban diplomat and politician Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada died on May 1 in Havana at the age of 84, according to confirmed relatives and official sources.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez confirmed the news on Twitter and paid tribute to Alarcón for his “loyalty to the Revolution, the Party, foreign policy and the glorious tradition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex).”
All our tribute to dear Ricardo Alarcón in his loyalty to the Revolution, to the Party, to foreign policy and to the glorious tradition of @CubaMINREX. pic.twitter.com/cBmUAu2qWV
– Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) May 1, 2022
According to official media reports, Alarcón was linked from an early age to the July 26 Movement and in 1959 he was elected president of the Federation of University Students (FEU). Later, in 1962, he became the director of the MINREX for the Americas and then the Cuban ambassador to the United Nations.
«To Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada, the Master of the diplomats of our generation, we will always keep deep respect, admiration and infinite affection. Thank you for the privilege and honor of being his disciple. Our heartfelt condolences to Margarita and Ricardito,” Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal wrote on social media.
Alarcón also served as foreign minister between 1992 and 1993, when he was elected president of the National Assembly of People’s Power. In addition, he was a member of the Central Committee of the Party since the Second Congress and a member of its Political Bureau since the Fifth Congress.
