Havana, May 29 (RHC)-- The First Secretary of the PCC and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, congratulated Bashar al-Assad, upon his re-election to his post as Syrian president.

"We ratify the deep friendship and solidarity between our peoples and governments," the Cuban head of state said on Twitter.

Cuba has maintained diplomatic ties with Syria for 55 years. They are based on the friendship of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz with then-President Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father. These ties allowed young people from that nation to be trained as professionals in the Caribbean island.

In his first message to the nation, Al-Assad thanked his people for the reelection and highlighted the resilience and high sense of patriotism shown during the elections. He added that the massive popular turnout conveyed strong messages to the enemies.