This is the first meeting the Tenth Legislature, with a view to placing inter-parliamentary ties at the same level as the political ties between Cuba and Argelia
Havana, July 11 (RHC) Members of the Cuba-Algeria Parliamentary Friendship Groups reaffirmed this Tuesday their willingness to expand and strengthen relations between the legislative bodies of both countries.
In a meeting held via videoconference, Magda Ileana Pérez Matos, president of the group and head of the Industry, Construction and Energy Commission of the National Assembly of People's Power -Parliament-, conveyed a greeting from the head of the Cuban Legislative Assembly, Esteban Lazo, to her Algerian counterpart.
This is the first of many meetings that we will hold in this Tenth Legislature, with a view to placing inter-parliamentary ties at the same level as the political ties that have historically existed between our peoples, the official assured.
Pérez Matos thanked for the expressions of solidarity received from Algiers, the capital, for the donations made to Cuba, and for Algeria’s position in favor of lifting the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on the Caribbean country more than 60 years old.
In terms of interparliamentary ties, he pointed out the interest of the Cuban legislative body in strengthening bilateral relations, through virtual meetings on issues of mutual interest, exchanges between delegations in the framework of international events and the increase in consultations on issues of common interest in international legislative spaces.
The deputy called for support and solidarity actions such as statements, messages and other activities to promote the exchange of information and experiences on the work of parliaments.
Our priority is to strengthen the exchange with the Pan-African Parliament, of which we were proposed in 2019 to be observer members of that body of the African Union. This is an honor for Cuba and we hope that this process, interrupted by the pandemic, will resume and materialize, he said.
Pérez Matos congratulated his counterpart on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the independence of Algeria, celebrated on July 5, an event that coincides with the 60th anniversary of the first visit of Ernesto Che Guevara to that country as guest of honor at the celebrations for the first anniversary of independence.
He recalled the celebration of 60 years of uninterrupted bilateral diplomatic relations and conveyed the group's satisfaction for the successful visit of President Miguel Díaz-Canel to Algeria last November, as well as his support for the signed agreements.
Meanwhile, deputy Cristina Luna Morales, president of the Health and Sports Commission of the Cuban legislature, sent greetings to the collaborators of the largest of the Antilles in Algeria, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the first medical mission of the Cuban Revolution, in May 1963.
Feitas Benlakehal, president of the Parliamentary Group of Friendship with Cuba in the National Popular Assembly of Algeria, thanked the virtual meeting, and the humanist work of the Cuban collaborators in his nation and in refugee camps in Western Sahara.
Benlakehal conveyed his greetings to the Cuban deputies and congratulations for the commemoration of the Day of National Rebellion, on July 26. He highlighted the vast existing potential to strengthen economic relations in areas of mutual interest and the decisive role of parliaments in supporting bilateral ties.
Also participating on the Cuban side were Yamilex Cisneros Sardina, vice president of the group and head of the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation at the Dr. Tomas Romay Polyclinic; Caridad Margarita García Peña, secretary of this parliamentary group and researcher at the Center for Research and Development of Medicines; Yoamel Acosta Morales, member of the group and president of the Municipal Assembly of People's Power of La Lisa; and Yuniel Flores Aguiar, official of the International Relations Commission of the National Assembly. (Source: ACN)
