This Friday, July 3, the 18th National Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba was inaugurated in Gijón/Xixón, which will continue until Sunday, July 5. The meeting brings together 200 participants and more than 45 organizations from across Spain.
Manuel Villar, speaking on behalf of the Asturian organizations that convened the meeting, highlighted the city’s strong historical ties with the island, commemorating the 32nd anniversary of the twinning between Gijón and Havana. This bond once fostered development cooperation with the Cuban capital, but it was abruptly severed in 2011 after the right wing came to power in the city government.
Villar demanded that this cooperation be restored and strengthened, especially in the current context of a “criminal blockade” by the U.S. against the island, which is manifested particularly in the oil embargo. He also called for the promotion of municipal cooperation and cultural exchange at the local level. He recalled that important figures of the Cuban Revolution, such as Camilo Cienfuegos, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and Ramiro Valdés, are of Asturian origin, and emphasized that the Asturian people have always maintained a stance of solidarity with Cuba.
Cuban Ambassador Encouraged Solidarity as a Shield and Support for the Island’s Resistance
On the opening day, the Cuban ambassador to Spain, Marcelino Medina, delivered the main address, in which he outlined the three scenarios of U.S. aggression in its current war strategy against Cuba and its Revolution. The first is economic strangulation to provoke the people to rise up against the government; The second is the pressure to force a concessionary negotiation that would entail surrendering Cuban sovereignty and the economy to the U.S.; and the third is direct military aggression.
Medina placed this reality within a “terrible world,” pointing to the “shameful genocide” in Gaza and the actions of an empire that respects nothing. He asserted that Cuba is suffering total economic strangulation, with an energy blockade that has lethal consequences for all of society, severely affecting health, transportation, and the electrical system. He also denounced the current pressure from Washington to prevent the annual UN debate against the blockade of Cuba from taking place.
Despite the siege, the ambassador delivered a message of resolve: Cuba will resist, fight, and continue to be a symbol of resistance for the peoples of the world. With the support of solidarity, he affirmed that “Cuba will prevail,” a conclusion that was met with a tremendous ovation from the audience.
Numerous greetings from political parties, unions, associations, and institutions
Numerous political, labor, and social organizations from Asturias and throughout Spain also sent greetings to the Meeting, and various social representatives took the floor to express their unconditional support for Cuba and its people.
Representatives from Asturian institutions, such as the mayors of Mieres and Avilés, also participated in the opening ceremony. Ovidio Zapico, coordinator of United Left (IU) in Asturias and Minister of Territorial Planning, Urban Development, Housing, and Citizens’ Rights of the Principality of Asturias, expressed his firm commitment to the Revolution and the Cuban people. Zapico described the blockade imposed by the United States as “criminal” and affirmed that Asturias will always stand with Cuba, supporting its struggle and its revolutionary process.
At the end of the event, Fernando González Llort, president of ICAP (Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples) and one of the Cuban Five Heroes, spoke, thanking the entire State Movement of Solidarity with Cuba for its support during these difficult times and calling for unity among all solidarity organizations.
Three-day program, inauguration of the Alicia Alonso Gardens, Black Week
Over three days, the meeting will be structured around workshops, assemblies, and organizational coordination sessions to address the main current challenges: denouncing the US economic and financial blockade, combating disinformation campaigns, and promoting concrete solidarity cooperation projects and material aid campaigns.
In addition, and running parallel to the Meeting, three public events about Cuba will take place as part of the Black Week in Gijón.
IMAGE CREDIT: Communications Team of the 18th State Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba* / MESC / Cubainformación
18th National Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba: Gijón/Xixón, July 3-5, 2026 (All materials)
[ SOURCE: www.cubainformacion.tv ]
