By Wallace Mawire.
Despite geographical distances, Zimbabwe and Cuba have demonstrated how countries can forge enduring partnerships based on shared values and aspirations.
To cement these shared values and aspirations, Zimbabwe and Cuba this year are celebrating 45 years of bilateral relations.
President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Cuba, Esteban Lazo Hernandez, also Acting as Council of State of the Republic of Cuba accompanied by members of the Cuban delegation in February 2025 visited Zimbabwe to further cement bilateral relations between the two countries and to celebrate the milestones achieved in diplomatic relations.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Professor Amon Murwira on welcoming the Cuban delegation said their visit to his Motherland is eloquent testament of the close relations that exist between the two sisterly Republics.
Professor Murwira said the relations were forged and cemented in the 1960s and 1970s when they were comrades in arms during the liberation struggle.
He said at that time, Cuba took up Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle and made it hers by training their combatants and providing arms and other materials to prosecute the struggle.
“After supporting us in the freedom struggle, we recall with fond memories that Cuba, naturally, was among the first countries to recognize Zimbabwe as a sovereign country, a gesture that underscored its firm belief in our right to self-determination. This act of solidarity was not merely symbolic, but was a powerful demonstration of Cuba’s commitment to global justice, equality and the principles of true international friendship, “Professor Murwira said.
He said in the same vein, on 20 April 1980, just two days after Zimbabwe gained independence, diplomatic relations were established between the two countries.
According to Murwira, this marked the beginning of strong and enduring bonds of friendship, which have continued to strengthen over the last 45 years of the subsistence of diplomatic relations.
“It is, therefore, my profound honour to be here today, as we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two sisterly Republics. This is not just a celebration of a diplomatic milestone, but a demonstration of how countries, despite geographical distance, can forge enduring partnerships based on shared values and aspirations,”Professor Murwira said, welcoming the Cuban delegation.
Honourable Hernandez,
He assured the delegation of Zimbabwe government ‘s determination and commitment to take the relationship to a new and higher level underpinned by a shared desire to build mutually beneficial cooperation, and to fight for a more just, fairer and more equitable global political and economic order.
He said the visit affords Zimbabwe the opportunity to explore ways of expanding, both qualitatively and quantitatively, all aspects of the relations between the two countries.
Professor Murwira said Zimbabwe was grateful that Cuba has played a vital role in shaping Zimbabwe’s human resource capacity, particularly through its generous education and healthcare support services.
