Tehran, Dec 4 (EFE).- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has arrived in Iran, one of Havana’s main allies, in the first official visit by a Cuban leader to the Persian country since 2001.
A handout photo made available by the Iranian presidential office shows Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi (R) and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel (L) sitting together for talks at the presidential palace in Tehran, Iran, 04 December 2023. EFE-EPA/IRANIAN PRESIDENCY/HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
“We are already in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a nation to which we are united by historical ties of friendship and cooperation,” the Cuban president said Monday on social network X (formerly Twitter).
A handout photo made available by the Iranian presidential office shows Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi (C-R) and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel (C-L) sitting together for talks at the presidential palace in Tehran, Iran, 04 December 2023. EFE-EPA/IRANIAN PRESIDENCY/HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
Diaz-Canel said that the visit was “an opportunity to continue energizing ties in multiple spheres for the benefit of both peoples.”
Upon his arrival on late Sunday, Diaz-Canel was welcomed by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisí at the Saadabad Palace in northern Tehran.
The Cuban president is accompanied by a large, high-level delegation.
The two countries are expected to sign several agreements in different fields during the visit.
Diaz-Canel will also visit the Pasteur Institute in Tehran, which collaborates with Cuba on medical projects, and will attend an exhibition of the “achievements of the latest technological capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Iran and Cuba are close political allies and share their support for Venezuela and their animosity toward the United States, which keeps all of them under sanctions.
Raisi traveled to Cuba in June when six agreements were signed in foreign policy, telecommunications and information technologies, customs, and justice.
This is the first visit by a Cuban leader to Tehran since Fidel Castro traveled to the Persian country in 2001, according to the official IRNA agency.
The Cuban president arrived in Tehran after participating in the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP28) held in Dubai, and after making an official visit to Qatar. EFE
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