Cuba bestows highest national honour on President Mbumba

The highest decoration awarded by the Cuban State to nationals and foreigners, the José Martí Order, was presented yesterday by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, to the President of the Republic of Namibia, H.E. Dr. Nangolo Mbumba, who is on an official visit to the island.

The Cuban President presented the award during a ceremony in Havana, recognising President Mbumba’s contributions both before and after Namibia’s independence.

Mbumba thanked the distinction “for the honour given to me by the people of Cuba, to be one of the participants of this torch of the Revolution,” he emphasized.

The largest of the Antilles and the African country “are united by a common history and a spirit of solidarity, principles of justice and freedom that was demonstrated in the joint struggle against colonialism and apartheid, which allow Namibia to enjoy the freedom and peace that we have at this time,” he said.

The Cuban Head of State said, in the official conversations that followed the reception, that he was welcoming “a brother, a great friend of Cuba”, and added that the visit will mark a milestone in the strengthening, expansion, and consolidation of bilateral ties, as reported by the Presidency’s account on X.

“Namibia will always be able to count on Cuba,” Diaz-Canel told his counterpart.

The meeting was sealed with the signing of a memorandum of understanding to establish the Intergovernmental Commission between the two countries, which will contribute to raise the level of economic, trad,e and cooperation relations, in addition to strengthening political and friendship ties.