Havana, September 16 (RHC)-- Messages of solidarity and shipments of humanitarian aid have continued to arrive in Cuba, in the wake of devastation caused by category 5 Hurricane Irma.
In Vietnam, the Hanoi-based Thai Binh Trade and Investment Corporation delivered 150,000 USD worth of aid to the Cuban Embassy in Hanoi, toward supporting recovery efforts in the Caribbean state.
In presenting the Cuban ambassador Herminio López Díaz with the donation, the president of the Vietnamese entity Tran Thant Tu said: “This is not just an economic contribution, it’s also a gesture, which reflects the Vietnamese spirit of solidarity, especially toward this sister Caribbean nation.”
The donation consists of a shipment of construction materials, foodstuffs and other emergency supplies.
The Cuban Ambassador recalled the longstanding ties between the island and the Thai Binh Trade and Investment Corporation and its associated entities, describing the donation as necessary.
Meanwhile, a ship from Panama’s Colon Container Terminal carrying five containers of rice, oil and other foodstuffs has arrived to the Mariel Port, in western Artemisa province.
The cargo forms part of aid shipments, sent from the Central American nation in the wake of Hurricane Irma, which began arriving in Cuba on September 13.
Furthermore, ever since it resumed flights, Copa Airlines has been supporting the Panamanian government’s efforts, sending three planes to Havana with 4,800 tons of hygiene products, sheets and food, among other supplies.
According to the Panamanian Foreign Ministry, next week 15 more containers carrying mattresses, sheets, hygiene and cooking products, blankets, foodstuffs, wood, lighting, water tanks and other supplies will arrive to the port of Santiago de Cuba, in the east of the island.
Meanwhile, the government of the Czech Republic sent a message of support to the Cuban people and government, following the damage caused by the powerful hurricane.
The text noted that “In light of the close cooperation ties that exist in the spheres of energy and food, this European nation is willing to help Cuba in those sectors' recovery.”
From South Africa, friendship and student associations composed of graduates from Cuban educational institutions set up solidarity fund raising appeals to support recovery efforts on the island following Irma.
The South African Friends of Cuba Society (Focus) announced the creation of a post-disaster solidarity relief fund and called on the entire population and organizations to support the campaign and help “our Cuban brothers and sisters, who have begun a long and difficult process to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma.”
Likewise, the Association of Uruguayan Doctors who graduated from the Latin American School of Medicine (AUE-ELAM) reaffirmed its unconditional support to the people and government of Cuba.
“Those of us who received the hand of solidarity of the revolutionary people of Cuba, express our commitment to give back to our second homeland, all the solidarity with which we were trained,” read the message.
And, Belgium’s Socialist Cuba Initiative Friendship Association (ICS) expressed its firm solidarity with the Caribbean nation following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma, as well as its commitment to supporting recovery efforts.
In a message sent to the Cuban Embassy in Belgium and the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, the Belgian organization expressed its regret over the destruction caused by the hurricane in Havana and other areas of the country.
