In his account of the social network X, the Cuban leader praised “the 50 years of the independence of Angola and the establishment of diplomatic relations”, as well as the tribute of his country for the anniversary held in the Portocarrero hall of the Palace of the Revolution in Havana.

“It was a tribute to the brotherhood between both peoples, strengthened with the blood of Cuban internationalists and MPLA fighters.

We remember the friendship between #Fidel and Neto,” said Diaz-Canel.

Cuba contributed to the independence of Angola through a solidarity epic that begun in 1975 that took shape in the so-called Operation Carlota and in which more than 370 000 Cuban soldiers participated.

At the commemoration ceremony held yesterday, the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Army Corps General Alvaro Lopez, said that «yesterday we were together in the trenches», and that today «We are proud that Angola is the African country where Cuba has the most diverse and numerous collaboration».

The Angolan ambassador in Havana, Carlos Cruz de Lemos, thanked Cuba, which he described as a “second home” for many compatriots who found on the island vocational training in various specialties, and recognized the example of solidarity towards other peoples.

The tribute in the Palace of the Revolution was chaired by Díaz-Canel and also members of the Cuban Communist Party and government, representatives of political and mass organizations and the armed institutions of the island.

abo/jha/jqo