HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 18 (ACN) As part of the busy visit that Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla is making to African countries, the head of Cuban diplomacy held an exchange in Nigeria with Omar Alieu Touray, president of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Cuba will continue strengthening cooperation with West African countries, in line with the deep historical ties that unite the island with that region, the foreign minister said on X.
Rodriguez Parrilla arrived last Saturday in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, a country that celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on July 1, 2024.
Both countries have developed close cooperation in different areas, with emphasis on education, health and human resources training.
During the day, Kashim Shettima, vice president of Nigeria, received the Cuban diplomat, in a meeting where the historical and cultural ties that unite the two nations were highlighted, as well as the potential for boosting economic-commercial relations and bilateral cooperation, according to the Cuban FM on X.
In another meeting, this time with Godswill Akpabio, president of the Senate of the African nation, Rodriguez Parrilla expressed Cuba's interest in expanding parliamentary ties, as a sign of the historic friendly relations between the two countries.
The Foreign Minister had already expressed to his Nigerian counterpart, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, the purpose of continuing to develop friendly ties and boost economic-commercial relations and cooperation in various sectors of mutual interest.
Likewise, as part of his busy work agenda, he exchanged with Cuban residents, Nigerian graduates in Cuba and friends of solidarity on issues related to the reality of the Caribbean country and the current international context.
Cuban FM thanked them for their support, efforts and permanent solidarity with the Caribbean nation.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is located in the center west of Africa, and with more than 220 million inhabitants and a relevant economic base is one of the countries with greater international preponderance of the continent.
Cuba and Nigeria are united by deep cultural, historical and ethnic ties due to the thousands of people who left those lands for the Americas, and in particular for the West Indian nation, in the slave trade imposed by the colonial powers for several centuries.