Diaz-Canel begins official agenda in St. Petersburg

 HAVANA, Cuba, May 5 (ACN) Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel began today in St. Petersburg the program of his official visit to Russia, during which he will participate in the events marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism (May 9, 1945).

The Presidency reported that the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) visited the Piskaryovskoy Cemetery to pay tribute to the victims of the bombing and famine caused by the siege of Leningrad, and to the soldiers who died defending the city.

"Today, when there are frequent attempts to rewrite history and minimize the heroism of the USSR and the Red Army and their role in the victory, we want to show here that the Cuban people do know the true history," said the head of state when signing the guest book.

According to the Presidency, the President also recalled in his remarks the young Cubans who fought in the Great Patriotic War: Vivo and Enrique Vilar.

In front of the monument to the Motherland, Diaz-Canel laid a wreath on behalf of the Cuban people and government.

Cuban president arrived this Sunday in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), where he was received by Alexander Dmitrievich Beglov, Governor of the city.

In that city Diaz-Canel will hold meetings with local authorities and visit places of interest, before continuing on to Moscow, where he will attend the ceremony and parade for the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the then Soviet Union over Nazi Germany.

The high-level Cuban delegation includes foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla; Emilio Lozada Garcia, member of the Central Committee of the PCC and head of its international relations department; and the minister of foreign trade and foreign investment, Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga.

The official visit also coincides with the 65th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and Russia, to be celebrated on May 8.