Cuba, Angola pledge to deepen political, economic ties

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and visiting Angolan Foreign Minister Manuel Augusto pledged here on Thursday to strengthen bilateral political and economic relations.

According to a government release published by the Cuban News Agency, during the "fraternal" meeting, Diaz-Canel and Augusto highlighted the excellent state of the historical bilateral relations.

The Cuban president and the Angolan foreign minister also discussed various international issues of mutual interest for Havana and Luanda.

Earlier Thursday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also met with Augusto and they recalled bilateral cooperations in fields such as health, construction, education, science and technology, agriculture and defense between the two countries.

"We are pleased with the excellent state of bilateral relations and the will to strengthen them, because Cuba attaches vital importance to its historical ties with Angola, in particular, and Africa in general," said the top Cuban diplomat.

For his part, Augusto highlighted the importance of Cuban's contribution to the independence of his country, as well as support for social and economic development programs.

"This visit reaffirms the solidarity and gratitude of Angola towards Cuba, especially in times of aggression and blockades that seek to limit the island's capacity for development," said Augusto.

Augusto also announced the visit to Cuba later this month of Angolan President Joao Lourenco, when the two countries will sign important legal and commercial agreements to strengthen ties.

Currently, over 2,000 advisors from the Caribbean island work in the African country, mainly in the fields of education, health and construction, while almost 3,000 young Angolans study in Cuban universities.