In the presence of Cuban Ambassador Oscar Leon, Lieutenant General Manuel Payva, representing the Chief of Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces, expressed his deep gratitude to the island and emphasized that the bilateral relationship transcends cooperation and is based on friendship.

He added that this brotherhood and solidarity were forged in the heat of struggle and shared sacrifices, and reiterated, half a century after the arrival of the Cuban internationalists on Angolan soil, his eternal gratitude to those who resisted shoulder to shoulder with the people, against the forces that attempted to thwart independence.

“The Cubans were by our side in the most difficult moments, not only the soldiers, but also teachers, doctors, construction workers… It is an unparalleled epic that will remain alive in our collective memory and will be an inspiration for new generations,” he stated.

Payva expressed the shared interest in strengthening the bilateral relationship and conveyed solidarity with the people of the Caribbean nation in the face of the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa.

The military attache of the Cuban Embassy in Angolan Colonel Enrique Kindelan, remembered the history of the emergence of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) in 1956, in the heat of the struggle against the tyranny of Fulgencio Batista (1952-1958).

He affirmed that Cuba will continue to be a stronghold of solidarity, as shown in Angola, and remembered milestones of the Cuban military presence in defending, alongside the Angolan people, the country’s independence and territorial integrity.

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