The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, will visit Mexico and participate in the meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which will be held on September 18 in Mexico City.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed to Animal Político the visit of Miguel Díaz-Canel to the country.
The first time the Cuban president visited Mexico was in 2018, when he attended López Obrador’s inauguration, then in 2019 he made an official visit, so it will be the third time he visits the country.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said a few days ago that the central theme of CELAC will be the proposal that Latin America will present in 2020 to the United States and Canada to reform or replace the Organization of American States (OAS).
Just on July 24, López Obrador considered that Cuba “deserves to be declared a world heritage site” and “new numancia for its example of resistance (…) I believe that for their struggle in defense of their sovereignty, of their country, the people of Cuba deserve the prize of dignity.”
“It is already unacceptable in the politics of the last two centuries, characterized by invasions, to put or remove rulers at the whim of the superpower, let’s say goodbye to impositions, interference, sanctions, exclusions and blockades,” he said in one of his morning conferences.
On several occasions he has pointed out that it is time for a new coexistence between all countries. And while the history of Fidel Castro and his revolution in Cuba is closely linked to Mexico, the country once had a strained relationship with Cuba.
One of the most tense moments occurred when former President Vicente Fox (2000-2006) asked his Cuban counterpart to withdraw soon from a United Nations summit on Financing for Development in Monterrey, which would also be attended by US President George W. Bush.
According to an audio later revealed by the Cuban government itself, Fox told Castro “Hey, Fidel, either way, there’s the invitation to accompany me to lunch, that that would be like 1:00 in the afternoon or 1:30 and just eating, then you can go out.”
Castro revealed the audio upon arriving in his country, which caused a stir for the famous “eat and go” and a pause in diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Vicente Fox changed during his government the traditional Mexican position of support for Cuba in international forums, which generated criticism from Fidel Castro, who accused him of kneeling before “the US empire”.
In 1955, Mexico welcomed him after the failed assault on the Moncada Barracks on July 26, 1953.
After being imprisoned for almost two years in Cuba, Fidel Castro flew to Mexico on July 7, 1955. He made stops in Merida, Campeche and Veracruz, to finally settle in Mexico City, where the Cuban, then 29 years old, organized a group, which was joined by Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, to return to his country and overthrow President Fulgencio Batista.
It was also in Mexico that Castro drafted a manifesto in which he reported on the formation of the July 26 Revolutionary Movement, to restore democracy and justice in Cuba.
During his stay in Mexico City, the police arrested Castro and several of the members of the group, who finally obtained their freedom thanks to the intervention, as Fidel himself would acknowledge, of former President Lázaro Cárdenas.
Read more: Fidel and his time in Mexico: the meetings and disagreements with the Cuban leader
After his release and after a few months of operating clandestinely, on November 25, 1956, the revolutionary leader and 82 fighters left for Cuba to start the revolution.
Already as president of Cuba, Fidel visited Mexico on 10 other occasions. Six as a special guest, two in the framework of multilateral relations, a state visit and another as part of an official visit.
His first visit occurred on May 17, 1979, in response to the invitation made by then-President José López Portillo.
Fidel Castro’s last two visits to Mexico were during Vicente Fox’s administration.
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