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Zvamaida Murwira, Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE and Cuba should never surrender the fight to improve their people’s livelihoods despite the yoke of illegal sanctions and blockades imposed on them by the United States and Western countries, visiting president of the Cuban National Assembly, Esteban Lazo Hernandez, has said.

Briefing journalists at State House in Harare yesterday soon after holding bilateral talks with President Mnangagwa, Mr Hernandez said Zimbabwe and Cuba should instead upscale their political relations to stronger economic ties for the good of the people.

“Cuba has always been able to count on the support of Zimbabwe in our fight against the blockade, sanctions, against all the abuse of imperialism and the inclusion of Cuba on the list of so-called countries sponsoring terrorism. That has been creating difficulties for the life of our people because it touches on our incomes, our access to financial bodies and all that impacts the living conditions of our people,” he said.

“But we will never surrender. We are going to keep fighting. It has been 63 years since the blockade was imposed on our country, but we have never surrendered. With the support of our brothers and sisters in Africa and particularly Zimbabwe, we will continue to move forward.”

Turning to yesterday’s discussions with President Mnangagwa, Mr Hernandez said they explored ways to deepen co-operation in several areas.

“We exchanged ideas on the relations between Cuba and Zimbabwe that have been based on fights and battles, that have been the fruits and friendship between Commander in Chief (Cuban founding leader) Fidel Castro and the founding father of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe,” he said.

Late former President Robert Mugabe

“We have been discussing a lot of things and we have also condemned all the sanctions that have been imposed on Zimbabwe by Western powers that have impeded the development of your country. Our main objective is to continue fostering, developing and deepening relations that are currently at their best moments. We have been discussing reinforcing relations between political parties, our parliaments and our Governments and more importantly, we are convinced that we should take our economic relations to the same level that our political ties are at”.

Mr Hernandez said Zimbabwe and Cuba enjoy long-standing warm bilateral relations, which have seen a deepening of co-operation in health and education.

“There is a deep connection and friendship between our two peoples. Many Cubans were sent on missions here to Zimbabwe and over 3 000 Cubans have come here. And there are over 3 000 sons and daughters of Zimbabwe who have been able to study and graduate in Cuba as evidence of our warm bilateral relations,” he said.

Both Zimbabwe and Cuba have held reciprocal solidarity engagements through enhanced co-operation where Havana has trained more than 3 000 teachers in Mathematics and Science coupled with the help it rendered in pharmaceuticals.

The training programme is now being undertaken at Bindura University of Science Education. There have been reciprocal visits at the highest level in the two countries aimed at exploring ways to deepen co-operation.

Yesterday’s meeting was attended by the Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, Members of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee in Foreign Affairs led by Cde Webster Shamu and Cuban Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Ms Suseleys Perez Mesa.