The Nation and Emigration Conference

Havana, November 12 (RHC) -- Some 440 Cubans living abroad have confirmed their participation in the IV Conference The Nation and Emigration, to be held on November 18 and 19 in Havana, the Foreign Ministry announced today.

According to the general director of Consular Affairs and Cubans Living Abroad (Daccre) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ernesto Soberon, some 300 of them have been accredited and the rest will be accredited in the next few days.

On this occasion there will be a significant participation of people who have not been in previous dialogues, as well as a high number of Cubans (40 percent, according to the last cut) who have residency in the country and abroad, he said.

This, he pointed out, is the result of the modification of the Constitution that now recognizes effective citizenship and can be several, so it will no longer be only an event with emigrants, but with Cubans who live abroad and may reside for some time on the island.

This meeting will be an opportunity for them to discuss Cuba's ties with their fellow countrymen abroad and the prospects of that relationship; migration issues; culture and identity, each with its peculiarities.

They will also address topics related to economic development and investments, with emphasis on opportunities for the participation of Cubans in the socioeconomic processes taking place in the country, he said in an interview with Juventud Rebelde newspaper.

Commenting on the continuity of these meetings, only interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Soberón recalled that the dialogues of 1978, 1994, 1995 and 2004 were led by the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro.

In 2013 -he said- the updating of the migratory policy took place with Army General Raúl Castro as president of the Councils of State and Ministers. And in 2018 and 2023 new migratory measures were approved with President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

He emphasized that in recent years extensive ties were forged between Cuba and its nationals, and as of July 1, 2023, long-awaited measures by Cubans such as the reduction of the consular fee associated with the passport application, the elimination of the extension of that document and the extension of the validity of ordinary Cuban passports from six to 10 years came into force.

Soberón pointed out that this IV Conference coincides with the celebration of the 45th anniversary of the 1978 Dialogue and the realization, from November 2 to 12, of the second Cuba Goes With Me cultural festival, in which dozens of Cuban artists and intellectuals living abroad will participate. (Source: Prensa Latina)