Santiago de Cuba, May 4 (RHC)-- Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa Delgado Thursday paid tribute to Cuba’s National Hero José Martí and Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro, at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in the city of Santiago de Cuba.

Accompanied by Comandante de la Revolución Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, the Ecuadoran head of state laid a bouquet of white roses before José Martí’s mausoleum and a floral wreath at the monument where the ashes of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution rest.
Visibly moved, Correa took a moment to pay tribute to the Cuban statesman and champion of just causes across Latin America and the world.

Leader of the Revolución Ciudadana (Citizens’ Revolution) in his country and a great friend of Cuba and the Cuban people, Rafael Correa arrived to Santiago de Cuba on Wednesday, May 3th. 

While in Santiago, President Correa will also visit the former Moncada Garrison, which a group of revolutionaries led by Fidel attempted to size from the Batista dictatorship on July 26, 1953.

Correa will also be decorated with the 'Illustrious Son of the city of Santiago de Cuba' distinction, the highest awarded by the Municipal Assembly of People’s Power. 

Other activities on President Correa's visit agenda include a meeting with young Ecuadorans who are studying at the University of Medical Sciences in Santiago de Cuba, as part of existing cooperation programs in the sector, and a tour of the Abel Santamaría neighborhood, where Ecuadorian collaborators are contributing their efforts to a housing construction program. The cooperation initiative between Ecuador and Cuba aims to build a total of 1,600 homes for victims of Hurricane Sandy, which hit Cuba in 2012.

From Santiago de Cuba, the Ecuadorian head of state will travel to Havana, where he will hold official talks with President Raúl Castro.