Havana, Apr 26 (Prensa Latina-RHC) A group of seven countries that belonged to the former Soviet Union celebrated the twentieth anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba, in a ceremony held at the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry in Havana on Wednesday. The event was attended by diplomatic representatives from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.All the representatives referred to the will to strengthen and expand the traditional bilateral relations based on friendship and mutual respect. Vladimir Astapenka, Ambassador of Belarus, said he appreciated the signing of more than 20 commercial and interstate agreements in areas such as sports, health, and culture, and highlighted bilateral cooperation in others such as scientific-technical and academic.

Diplomats recalled that it was in Havana where their governments opened the diplomatic door in Latin America and the Caribbean, establishing their first mission in Cuba. On the Cuban side, Deputy Foreign Minister Dagoberto Rodriguez said that this celebration is a duty and an honor for the island, and comes at a time when a large part of the world is devoting efforts and resources to promoting wars and divisions.

He recalled the words of President Raul Castro at the closing of the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, recognizing the valuable aid received from the people who made up the former USSR, without which the Revolution would not have survived in its early years, before the increasing aggression of imperialism.

There were also representatives of the diplomatic corps in Beijing, and national institutions that work closely with these countries at the meeting.

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