At the ceremony, which was attended by the Cuban ambassador to Angola, Oscar Leon, several members of the diplomatic mission and the director general of Antex Angola, Pedro Pablo Quintana, the director of ISTM, Brigadier General Diniz Kebanguilako, highlighted the life and work of the statesman of the Caribbean nation.

  He emphasized the responsibility of passing on to new generations the knowledge of a man who contributed greatly to the independence and preservation of Angola’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

  The Cuban ambassador congratulated ISTM on its 18th anniversary and highlighted the cooperation provided over the years by approximately 200 Cuban professors who have taught at this higher education institution in various specialties, serving the Angolan Armed Forces.

  The Cuban diplomat remembered the beginnings of the Caribbean nation’s cooperation in military training in Angola, when, following the meeting between Antonio Agostinho Neto, considered the Father of the Nation, and guerrilla commander Ernesto Guevara in 1965, Cuban advisory services began for the People’s Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA).

  The director of ISTM presented a Certificate of Merit to Oscar Leon for Cuba’s contributions to the training of Angolan combatants, and another certificate of merit to the brigade of collaborators currently teaching at the institution.

  The Cuban diplomat, for his part, presented Brigadier Kebanguilako with a painting of Fidel Castro and Agostinho Neto during the Cuban statesman’s first visit to Angola in March 1977, and a certificate recognizing the friendly and cooperative relations.

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