President Diaz-Canel concludes official visit to Iran

Tehran, Dec 5.- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel concluded his official visit here today after a busy agenda of meetings at the highest governmental level, with businessmen, solidarity groups and tours through centers of interest.

Before he left the Persian country, the president attended the Sadabad Historical Cultural Complex, where he met with Cubans living in Iran and solidarity groups, whom he thanked for their affection and support to the island.

A few hours earlier, Diaz-Canel described as profitable an exchange with Persian businessmen before whom he highlighted the business opportunities in the Caribbean nation and its exportable offer, focused on expanding economic and trade ties between the two countries.

On the previous day, from the Pasteur Institute, the visitor urged the scientists to continue developing joint projects and highlighted the experience of collaboration, during Covid-19 pandemic, between that center and the Finlay Vaccine Institute of Cuba.

The Cuban president ratified that he will continue to strengthen parliamentary relations with the head of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and conveyed the invitation of the president of the island’s parliament, Esteban Lazo, to visit Havana.

The agenda included a conversation with the Persian leader, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who recalled that he received Diaz-Canel as he did 22 years ago when he met with the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, in an atmosphere of sincerity.

The visit gave continuity to all the issues discussed during the Persian leader’s stay in Havana last June and to other bilateral discussions held in other global forums, said the president at the end of the official dialogue with his host counterpart.

In a joint press conference, Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi confirmed close collaboration with Cuba in several areas as the way to neutralize Washington’s sanctions against both countries.

Diaz-Canel said that this visit allowed strengthening, diversifying and expanding the interests and activities of collaboration and solidarity between the governments and peoples, based on the respect and cordiality that dates back more than four decades.

During the visit, six collaboration instruments were signed in various areas including agriculture, livestock, fisheries, mining and energy, in addition to a contract for the transfer of knowledge in vaccines and a memorandum of understanding for strategic cooperation between the Pasteur Institute of Iran and the Finlay Institute of Cuba for the clinical and preclinical development of immunizers. (Taken from Prensa Latina)