Image: Prensa Latina.

Havana, January 11 (RHC)-- India reaffirms its ties of friendship and cooperation with Cuba on the 65th anniversary of the establishment of their relations, while ratifying its commitment to collaboration with our country and nations of the Global South.

The Indian government was one of the first to recognize the Cuban State after the revolutionary triumph of 1959, recalled Ambassador Armstrong Chagsan in a ceremony held last night at the emblematic Hotel Nacional.

Following a visit by Commander Ernesto Che Guevara to New Delhi that year, he added, both countries established official ties on January 12, 1960.

From that moment on, both countries embarked on a “path of cooperation and friendship that has been characterized by high-level visits, cultural exchanges, cooperation for development, close coordination in multilateral forums and the defense of the cause of the Global South,” said the Head of Mission.

“We value our solid bilateral relationship and hope to continue working together to address common challenges and explore new avenues of cooperation in the coming years,” the ambassador envisioned.

In conversation with Prensa Latina, Changsan said that on Friday, January 10, a first shipment of medicines left for Havana to help relieve the victims of the two cyclones that hit the eastern and western regions of the island last October and November.

Cuba and India have actively participated –he added- in the exchange of knowledge and skills with developing countries through various initiatives in the fields of health, education, natural disaster management, among others.

“This is an example of our shared values ​​and our commitment to the well-being of the Global South,” Changsan emphasized.

The ceremony also served to commemorate another anniversary of the Day of Technical and Economic Cooperation of India, known by the abbreviation in English ITEC. The diplomat pointed out that ITEC is India's largest program for the development of human resources in nations of the Global South. More than 225 thousand professionals from more than 160 countries, both in the civil and defense sectors, have been trained in almost 400 courses since the beginning of this program in 1964.

The Indian government offers and pays for more than 12 thousand scholarships for training and professional development in more than 120 institutions in that country, in which more than a thousand Cubans have excelled.

The ceremony, attended by Cuban professionals who have benefited from ITEC courses, executives from the Ministries of Foreign Trade and Investment, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also served to commemorate International Hindi Day and the Day of Indians Abroad. (Source: Prensa Latina).