Ahead of marking a 30-year relationship between their two countries, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel embarked on a historic first State visit to Belize on Sunday (February 12).

Fresh from his visit to Mexico, where President Andrés López Obrador called for an end to the “inhumane” US embargo, a rousing Belize Defence Force (BDF) military salute welcomed Díaz-Canel on the tarmac of the Philip Goldson International Airport.

Greeted by Governor-General Froyla Tzalam in Belize City, Díaz-Canel’s intense day visit proceeded to the House of Culture where he lamented that before him, no sitting Cuban president had ever visited its Caribbean neighbour and sister country.

“Being in Belize was a debt; three prime ministers of this brotherly country have been in Cuba and we had not visited it yet,” Díaz-Canel reflected, adding, “being here is a healthy source of pride and also a commitment, and that is why we give this visit so much significance.”

Díaz-Canel then met Prime Minister John Briceño, where they held fruitful official talks between the two delegations and signed cooperation agreements to strengthen diplomatic relations.

The Cuban president was also audience to a special sitting of the National Assembly in Belize, where Briceño again appealed for the Biden administration to finally end its decades-long embargo.

An ardent friend of the Spanish-speaking island, Belize has repeatedly lobbied for Cuba’s inclusion on the international scene.

“We note that these actions take place in the face of an unjust, illegal, financial, commercial and trade embargo imposed by the United States. Belize also condemns the unjustified designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism to which there is no legal or moral justification for Cuba to remain,” Briceño contended.

“The people of Cuba have a special place in the hearts of Belizeans, due to their incomparable spirit of solidarity, an example of a solidarity that has led them to dozens of countries to save, to give health [to], among them, the nations of CARICOM,” the prime minister mused further.

Cuba’s delegation was made up of several high-ranking government members including Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz and Public Health Minister José Angel Portal Miranda, as well as other technocrats.

While there, Díaz-Canel also participated in an exchange with members of the Cuban Medical Brigade stationed in Belize.

The two countries formally established diplomatic ties on July 15, 1995, though bilateral cooperation had already begun five years prior.

Centuries of history and culture unite the peoples of both countries, whose bonds of friendship have been consolidated over the years.

Belize has greatly benefitted from Cuba’s track record as a medical powerhouse, with scores of citizens working countrywide in the public sector.

Late last year, Cuba was on the receiving end of support from Belize, as the country sent two humanitarian donations to aid the island during the deadly Matanzas refinery fire and impacts associated with Hurricane Ian.