Cuban Ambassador Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera highlighted India’s influential role in the Global South during Fidel Castro centenary rallies in Tripura, recalling India-Cuba ties, cooperation in renewable energy, healthcare and education, and expressing Cuba’s interest in strengthening bilateral relations with India.
Cuban Ambassador to India Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera highlighted India’s influential role in the Global South during his visit to Tripura on Thursday, where he participated in rallies organised to commemorate the birth centenary of Cuban revolutionary leader and former President Fidel Castro.
The Cuban diplomat visited Sabroom and Agartala to attend programmes organised by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), as part of the centenary observance. His visit brought a rare diplomatic dimension to the events and highlighted the long-standing political and diplomatic ties between India and Cuba.
Aguilera was warmly received at Agartala airport by senior CPI(M) leaders led by former MP and CITU president Sankar Prasad Datta. He was accompanied during the visit by First Secretary of the Cuban Embassy, Ms. Mike Diaj Perej.
Addressing the gatherings, Aguilera recalled the historical relationship between India and Cuba and India’s important contribution to the Non-Aligned Movement during the 1960s. He particularly referred to the historic meeting between Fidel Castro and India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in New York in 1960.
According to the Ambassador, Castro and Nehru discussed strengthening cooperation between Cuba and India and worked towards the broader vision of establishing a New International Economic Order. Aguilera said India’s role in international affairs has continued to evolve and that the country remains an important supporter of cooperation among nations of the Global South.
“Nowadays, India continues playing this role. India is a key player in international politics and is supporting the Global South through cooperation,” Aguilera said.
The Cuban Ambassador also highlighted areas of contemporary cooperation between the two countries, particularly renewable energy. He noted that Cuba is a founding member of the International Solar Alliance, an international initiative launched by India to promote solar energy and support the global transition towards cleaner energy.
Aguilera also referred to the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), describing international cooperation on climate resilience and disaster preparedness as increasingly important as countries confront the effects of climate change.
Education and professional training were another key area highlighted by the Cuban diplomat. He praised India’s Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme and said more than 700 Cuban professionals have travelled to India for training and knowledge exchange.
The Cuban professionals, he said, have gained experience in several fields, including artificial intelligence, agriculture, science, biotechnology and other emerging technologies. The programme, according to Aguilera, has contributed to strengthening people-to-people and institutional ties between the two countries.
Healthcare and pharmaceutical cooperation also featured prominently in his remarks. Describing India as the “pharmacy of the world,” Aguilera praised India’s contribution to supplying medicines to developing countries at suitable prices. He said India is Cuba’s primary supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and raw materials required for the production of medicines in Cuba.
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The Ambassador expressed satisfaction with the growing cooperation between India and Cuba and indicated that Havana remains interested in expanding bilateral relations in the coming years.
His participation in the Fidel Castro centenary programmes in Tripura underscored the historical and political connections between the two countries while also focusing on areas of practical cooperation, including renewable energy, education, technology and healthcare.
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The events in Sabroom and Agartala therefore served not only as commemorations of Fidel Castro but also as platforms to highlight India’s continuing engagement with Cuba and the wider Global South.
