Luanda – The ambassador of Angola to Cuba, Maria Candida Pereira Teixeira paid tribute, this Friday, to the Cuban veterans who contributed to the conquest and maintenance of the National Independence of Angola.
The diplomat reaffirmed Angola´s role in the context of nations and pointed that as a country member of the United Nations (UN) it is committed to protecting the environment, forests, seas, rivers, as well as other natural resources which are important for the people´s wellbeing and for the sustainability of the societies.
In a ceremony that took place in the Pantheon of Firefighters of the Colon cemetery, where one finds the remains of the Independence wars veterans, Maria Candida Pereira Teixeira said that it is a homage to the “children of the Fidel Castro Ruz’s homeland”, under whose orders those Cuban citizens left their Country in order to help other people to free themselves from the bonds of colonialism.
“The date we celebrate today means a day of joy for all Angolans, as it represents the end of a long national liberation struggle against the Portuguese colonial regime, in which Angolan people took control of their own destiny”, said the Angolan diplomat.
According to Maria Candida Pereira Teixeira, Angola established itself as a sovereign and independent state during the difficult and complex context of the cold war in a bipolar world divided by confrontation within the international community.
The diplomat praised Cuban people's support especially their historical leader Fidel Castro due to his fast and brave support in several fields to the Angolan homeland that ended with the liberation struggle against the Portuguese colonial regime on 11 November 1975.
The ceremony was attended by the Cuban minister of Construction René Mesa, the Cuban vice-minister for Foreign Affairs Anayansi Rodríguez, the vice-minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Déborah Rivas, in addition to Cuban civil society organizations representatives, diplomatic corps accredited in Cuba, the Angolan community and officials from the foreign mission in Havana.
