Photo: YAMIL LAGE / AFP / Getty Images
For: EFE Updated 08 May 2022, : 51 pm EDT
Cuba awarded this Sunday to the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the José Martí order for his vocal opposition to the US blockade (embargo) , its solidarity and its defense of the sovereignty of the island.
The order, the highest distinction granted by the Cuban Government, was presented to him during the Mexican’s working visit to Havana, the last stage of his tour of Central America and the Caribbean.
“It is a distinction that honors me, to receive this award from the most humane, most sincere independence fighter in our America, José Martí,” said López-Obrador at the end of the ceremony.
The Mexican president described Martí as a “giant” and described him as a “universal pro-independence leader” and a hero of “all Latin Americans”.
He thanked his “friend”, the Cuban President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and expressed his “endearing and profound affection for the worthy people of Cuba.”
As a curiosity, he added that the father of the Mexican nation Miguel Hidalgo, the Cuban hero José Martí and himself were born in the same year, the 51, of three consecutive centuries (XVIII, XIX and XX).
📸 Previously, the president , accompanied by his entourage, placed a Floral Offering in front of the Monument to José Martí and visited his Memorial. At the Palace of the Revolution, he received the Decoration of the Order of José Martí and witnessed the signing of an agreement 🇲🇽-🇨🇺 on health matters. pic.twitter.com/sh9xtmiTQH
— Foreign Relations (@SRE_mx) May 8, 2022
“Valuable contributions”
The Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Josefina Vidal , highlighted -when justifying the granting of the order- the “valuable contributions” of López Obrador for the benefit of the Latin American peoples, as well as his efforts to strengthen the unity of the region.
The order, Vidal added, expresses the “sincere affection of the Cuban people for their tenacity and determined contribution in the deepening of historical ties” to both nations.
Vidal also highlighted the “firm defense of just causes, peace and cooperation” of López Obrador, among which he highlighted his “firm and repeated” statements in favor of US sanctions against Cuba.
The decoration also shows the “immense gratitude” to the “invaluable gesture” of the Government of López Obrador for the “solidarity and generous support” provided to Cuba in the most difficult moments of the covid-19.
Work visit
With this act the agenda concluded public of López-Obrador’s visit to Havana, where two agreements were also signed to strengthen bilateral relations in health matters and, especially, in the confrontation of covid-51.
López Obrador arrived in Havana this Saturday, where he was received by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, but this Sunday to develop his official agenda.
The Mexican president began the day on Sunday with an offering a flower at the Monument to José Martí in the iconic Plaza de la Revolución in Havana.
Next, Díaz-Canel received the Mexican in the Revolution Palace with military honors. A bilateral meeting was then held, which was later joined by members of both cabinets.
President Mexican will return to Mexico tonight to end his first international tour -which took him to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Belize- and that it began on May 5.
Until then, López Obrador had only traveled to the US three times since coming to power in 2018.
It may interest you:
– AMLO places a floral offering at the Monument to José Martí in Cuba and is received by Miguel Díaz-Canel
– AMLO visits Havana: “Cuba is an ace up the president’s sleeve Mexican who is on duty”
– AMLO makes a trip to Central America where he will seek to strengthen solidarity and integration