Angola and Cuba, a common history to preserve, claims minister

Cuba’s Public Health Minister, José Angel Portal, on Wednesday praised the common history shared by his country and Angola, deeming it a treasure that must be preserved and passed on to the new generations.

The minister is visiting the Angolan province of Cuanza Sur, together with a Cuban delegation made up of Ambassador Oscar León; the director of Sub-Saharan Africa Department at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Luis Alberto Amorós; the daughter of late Commander Raúl Díaz Argüelles, Natasha, and combatants who participated in the Battle of Ebo.

On Wednesday, Portal and the delegation, also including Cuban diplomats in the African country, visited the place commemorating Díaz Argüelles’ death, on December 11, 1975, when his armored carrier hit a land mine.

The visitors held a pleasant meeting with residents of the Engo neighborhood and authorities of the municipality of Gabela.

On the occassion, the municipal representatives thanked the Cuban delegation’s visit and took the opportunity to highlight the help provided by Cuba during the war, specifically in the Ebo area.

The director of the municipal hospital, Reis Luciano, who graduated in Cuba as a General Comprehensive Physician in 2015, told visitors that seven Cuban doctors are working in that community.

As he talked to one of the Cuban physicians, Portal stressed the importance of keeping alive the history linking the two countries.

Ambassador Oscar León expressed appreciation for the local welcoming and introduced four ex troopers who fought directly under Díaz Argüelles’ command in the Battle of Ebo.

On Monday, the Cuban delegation participated in the inauguration of the general hospital of the province, which bears the name of Commander Raúl Díaz Argüelles, the first head of the Cuban military mission in Angola.

After the ceremony, headed by Angolan President João Lourenço, the Cuban visitors met with Cuban medical staff training Angolan doctors at the hospitals in Gabela and Ebo.