Cuba pays tribute to Angolan leader Agostinho Neto

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 10 (ACN) The Cuban Friendship Institute (ICAP by its Spanish acronym) and the embassy of the Republic of Angola paid tribute today to the leader of that African nation, Agostinho Neto, on the 45th anniversary of his death, four years after proclaiming national independence on November 11, 1975.

At the African Heroes Park, tribute was paid to Neto “whom Cubans remember as the dear friend of Cuba and Fidel, as the patriotic and humble doctor who cured the needy, the thinker, writer, poet and fighter,” said Fernando Gonzalez Llort, president of ICAP.

He highlighted the internationalist missions of the Cubans in that African nation “our friendship is rooted in the blood of Cubans and Angolans, the best tribute to Neto and Fidel is to keep their ideals alive and continue strengthening the relations between both nations”, he remarked.

Speaking at the ceremony, Angolan Ambassador Maria Candida Pereira Texeira recalled the arrival in late 1975 of the first Cuban fighters to Angola, a country whose independence was threatened, “thus initiating a strong solidarity and collaboration between our nations,” she said.

Neto left a legacy of hope and resistance for the Angolans, inspiring future generations to fight for their rights and defend the values of freedom and justice, Angolan ambassador asserted.

Emilio Lozada, head of the international relations department of the Communist Party of Cuba; Anayansi Rodriguez, deputy minister of foreign relations; Major General Jose Antonio Carrillo, president of the association of combatants of the Cuban revolution and Victor Dreke, of the Cuban-African friendship association, attended this memorable day.