Cuban parliament ratifies its will to strengthen relations with Beninese and Indonesian counterparts

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 25 (ACN) The vice president of the Cuban National Assembly of People's Power, Ana Maria Mari Machado, reiterated the will to strengthen and increase inter-parliamentary ties with the Republics of Benin and Indonesia, during the reception at the Capitol of the highest diplomatic representatives of both nations in Cuba.

After welcoming H.E. Mr. Boniface Vignon, ambassador of the Republic of Benin to Cuba, Mari Machado highlighted the bonds of friendship that unite the two nations and thanked the African community for its unanimous condemnation of the economic and commercial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba more than 60 years ago.

In the parliamentary arena, she said, the good state of relations and the willingness to continue strengthening them stand out, while stressing the commitment to continue identifying topics of mutual interest within the priorities of the multilateral agenda.

Also, when welcoming H.E. Mrs. Nana Yuliana, ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Cuba, Ana Maria Mari Machado recalled the historic ties between the two countries, whose diplomatic relations already extend over six decades.

She also recognized Indonesia's invariable position of support for Cuba in the fight against the blockade, not only in condemning it, but also in the search for alternatives to overcome it, through the strengthening of economic and trade ties.

In that sense, Cuban MP noted the accession of Cuba, in November 2020, to the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN), which makes us the first country in the Caribbean -and the fifth in Latin America- to subscribe to that platform.

In response to the diplomat's keen interest in learning about women's participation in the country's political and social life, the vice president of the Cuban legislature informed that today 53.22% of the deputies are women, who also occupy more than 66% of the archipelago's technical force and are in the majority in several sectors such as science, health, education and the administration of justice, among others.

Yolanda Ferrer Gomez, president of the International Relations Commission of the National Assembly, as well as Yuniel Flores and Omar Torres, officials of this parliamentary commission, were also present at each meeting.