Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, October 31- Today, Venezuela is once again demonstrating its commitment to the well-being of the Cuban people, stated Yvan Gil Pinto, the South American country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, in this capital, following the shipment of 26 tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba to support recovery efforts after Hurricane Melissa.
Upon his arrival at Havana's José Martí International Airport, the Foreign Minister was received by Gerardo Peñalver Portal, Cuba's Interim Minister of Foreign Affairs; Rolando Yero Travieso, head of the Department of Attention to the Social Sector of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, and Orlando Maneiro Gaspar, Venezuelan ambassador to the island, among other officials.
In statements to the press, the head of Bolivarian diplomacy highlighted the historical coincidence of this donation with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Bolívar-Martí Agreement, better known as the Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement between Cuba and Venezuela, by Commanders Fidel Castro Ruz and Hugo Chávez Frías.
He pointed out that this was the moment when both leaders sowed the seed of what is now the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA, for its acronym in ), which helped to halt the neoliberal advance on the continent and pave the way for cooperation as a path to creating an alternative for the well-being of the people.
He pointed out that this principle, based on unity, is what makes this shipment possible to the territories affected by the extreme hydrometeorological event, both in Cuba and Jamaica, and announced the departure in the coming days towards the Caribbean of the ALBA ship, with more than three thousand tons of resources needed in this time of adversity.
In this way, Gil Pinto acknowledged the sustained effort of the Cuban authorities, thanks to which, so far, no loss of life has been reported after the passage of the cyclonic system.
Along with the message of solidarity, the diplomat took the opportunity to congratulate the country's top leadership for the resounding victory achieved at the United Nations General Assembly in the vote on the Cuban resolution against the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States government.
There, he added, the vast majority of the international community reaffirmed for the thirty-third consecutive time the victory of the free world over the machinery of imperialist blackmail and diplomatic extortion.
The Venezuelan aid arrived this Thursday in the eastern region, transported by Conviasa from Maiquetía Airport, and includes medical supplies, food products, and infrastructure materials.
This gesture reflects once again the bonds of brotherhood and cooperation between Venezuela and Cuba, forged in the ideals and example of Fidel and Chávez.
Melissa made landfall in Cuba near the province of Santiago de Cuba last Wednesday, October 29, as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, bringing intense rainfall and maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour that caused flooding and infrastructure damage in the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguín, and Las Tunas. (Text and photo: ACN)
