Presidents of Ireland and Cuba Talk in Dublin

Dublin: The presidents of Ireland, Michael Higgins and Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, held official talks today on the second day of the Caribbean president’s visit to this country, Prensa Latina publishes.

The talks began immediately after the welcome ceremony at the Áras an Uachtarain presidential house, a palace located north of Dublin.

Following the protocol, which included a military parade to the troops formed to honor the visitor and greetings to a group of children from a local primary school waving Cuban and Irish flags, Díaz-Canel and Higgins met behind closed doors with their delegations.

The Cuban head of state, first to carry out an official visit to Ireland, then planted an oak in the palace gardens, in an act that he himself described as the 'perfect symbol of friendship', that unites both peoples.

Díaz-Canel's agenda in Dublin includes a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, a tour of the former Kilmainham prison, and meetings with compatriots residing in Ireland and Irish citizen in solidarity with Cuba.

Yesterday he visited emblematic places in Dublin, including St. Stephen's Green Park, the Trinity College Library and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

In these last two sites, he expressed in the visitor's book his conviction that Cuba and Ireland, besides their insularity, share patriotic ties and independence ideals.

The Cuban president’s visit to Ireland marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Havana and Dublin.

Díaz-Canel will depart tomorrow from this capital to Belarus, as part of a tour, which also includes stays in Azerbaijan and Russia.

The Cuban delegation is also made up of Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, the Minister of Foreign Trade, Rodrigo Malmierca, and the Director of the Department of Europe in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alba Soto.