Windhoek, August 27 (Prensa Latina)-- The president of Namibia, Hage Geingob, received today his Cuban counterpart, Miguel Díaz-Canel, at the capital's State House for official talks.
 
On Saturday, Díaz-Canel was decorated by Geingob with the "Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis", Namibia's highest decoration.

Previously, the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, had also been awarded this important order.

Upon receiving it today at State House, the Namibian president wrote on the X network (formerly Twitter), "our home is your home. In Namibia we consider Cubans as our brothers and sisters".

During the talks Geingob recalled the historical ties that unite both peoples, and highlighted the current cooperation of Cuban specialists in Namibia in areas such as medicine, among others.

He also denounced the U.S. blockade against Cuba, which even prevents Cuba from buying medical supplies in the U.S. market.

What crime has Cuba committed to be sanctioned in this way, Geingob asked.

For his part, the Cuban president stressed that the visit has a special significance, among other reasons because the current generation of Cuban leaders defines itself as one of continuity of the Revolution, and this includes solidarity with our brothers, including the strengthening of our friendship with Namibia, its government and its people.

Díaz-Canel also ratified the willingness to continue and strengthen cooperation with this African nation, and increase it in the areas of construction, information technology (including artificial intelligence, robotics, and computer security), and also in culture and sports, if Namibia needs it.

In his speech, he recalled how their daughters and sons were taken from African lands, Namibian lands, by the colonialists to be taken to Cuban lands and turned into slaves.

Those slaves, he added, fought for their freedom, joining the Cuban freedom struggles.

They stopped being slaves fighting for Cuba, and they brought to the Cuban nationality their culture, beliefs, feelings, their colors and their rebelliousness and bravery.

Now, when President Geingob recognized the Cuban internationalists who fought in Angola together with the Swapo fighters, we can say that you gave us that courage, the President emphasized.

That is why Fidel Castro said that we Cubans are Latin-Africans.

We are proud of being mestizos, and when we came to these lands, as Fidel said, we came to settle our debt with Africa.

After Namibia's independence, he continued, there have been more than 30 years of permanent collaboration in which we have developed projects for the benefit of the peoples.

Now, Díaz-Canel emphasized, we ratify our express will that those feelings are also carried to the new generations of Cubans and Namibians, and that the historical memory, to which you have been very loyal, is never lost.

The Cuban leader also thanked Namibia for its stance in denouncing the blockade, its attitude as promoters of the initiative for the African Union to pass resolutions against it every year, and the energetic vote in the UN General Assembly for the resolution against that measure of the United States.

During the official meeting, Díaz-Canel extended to Geingob an invitation to make an official visit to Cuba.

He also proposed that this year, at the sixth bilateral cooperation meeting, to increase the hierarchy of this cooperation mechanism, and to implement the intergovernmental commission, as well as to increase collaboration between the Communist Party of Cuba and Swapo on issues of improvement.

Finally, he expressed his wish that for the upcoming G77 and China summit on science and technology, to be held in September in Havana, Africa will be well represented, and in particular "Namibia for the leadership you have in the region".