Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stressed Thursday that Japan and our country have developed in all these years an exemplary relationship of mutual respect, of speaking with transparency, which has had the merit of not bending to the pressures of third parties.

Havana, May 4 (RHC)-- Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stressed Thursday that Japan and our country have developed in all these years an exemplary relationship of mutual respect, of speaking with transparency, which has had the merit of not bending to the pressures of third parties.

The president welcomed Motegi Toshimitsu, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party and former foreign minister of Japan, at the Palace of the Revolution.

Díaz-Canel described the relations between the two peoples and governments as very authentic, very genuine, very original and very much his own. "This has always allowed us to move forward, deepening important political, economic and commercial exchanges," he said.

Referring to moments of special significance that have strengthened those ties, the Cuban leader recalled the visits to Japan of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz (1926-2016) and Commander Ernesto Che Guevara (1928-1967), who as part of them paid tribute to the victims of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively).

Among the most recent milestones of those bilateral ties, Díaz-Canel also pointed out the visits of current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, then Japanese Foreign Minister, in 2015, and Shinzo Abe in 2016, in his capacity as Prime Minister of the Japanese nation.

He also recalled how in the 70s and 80s Japan had a very direct participation in a whole group of Cuban economic and social development programs. In that sense, he assured that this brotherly country is seen in Cuba as a model of development that is also a reference.

"The Cuban people know about Japanese history and culture, and also admire it. They admire the wisdom, industriousness, ingenuity, creativity and innovation of the Japanese people," he said.

On the occasion of this official visit, the President of the Republic highlighted the support received from Japan for a group of economic and social programs of broad impact in the areas of food production, agriculture, community services, transportation, education and others.

He also thanked the Japanese government for the support it has always given Cuba in the resolution against the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States.

After recognizing the importance of Motegi Toshimitsu's presence in Cuba in the current context of the largest Antillean Island, the President ratified: "our will, our desire and our determination to continue strengthening, broadening and deepening political, economic and trade relations with Japan".