Prior to these words, the Belizean head of State welcomed the Cuban president at an extraordinary joint session of the National Assembly, the first of its kind on a Sunday and held outside Belmopan since the city became the country’s capital.

Both statesmen had met minutes before, expressed their interest in strengthening economic, trade and cooperation ties, and exchanged viewpoints on the agreements adopted at the 8th Summit of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

Accompanying President Diaz-Canel were Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, Foreign Trade Minister Rodrigo Malmierca, Public Health Minister Jose A. Portal, and BioCubaFarma Chairman Eduardo Martinez.

The visit’s agenda started with a meeting between the Cuban head of State and Belizean Governor General Froyla Tzalam at the House of Culture in Belize City.

This is the first visit by a Cuban president to Belize, while three of five prime ministers from this Central American nation: Said Musa, Dean Barrow and John Briceño, have traveled to Cuba.

On July 15, 1995, the Belizean and Cuban governments established diplomatic relations, based on mutual respect, cooperation, and solidarity.

Cuban cooperation began in Belize in 1990, mainly in the area of health and sports.

Currently, 120 Cuban medical collaborators, and two in sports are working in Belize. In total, more than 1,000 healthcare workers have provided services here.

Cuba supports Belize and the Caricom Member States in the training of human resources, and 64 Belizean scholarship holders are studying in Cuba.

Belize, which has offered scholarships to young Cubans to improve the English language, is the fourth country that President Diaz-Canel has visited in official functions in the last three months.

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