August 1, 2026
Petro meeting with Colombian students studying medicine in Havana
Colombian President Gustavo Petro arrived this Friday shortly after 7:00 p.m. (local time) at José Martí International Airport in Havana on his final official trip as president to meet with his counterpart Miguel Díaz-Canel and express his support for the island amidst the intensified U.S. blockade. In a previous post on X, he had stated that he chose the Caribbean nation as his final official destination because “Cuba under attack” is “vital for national sovereignty and the struggle for life in the Caribbean”.
“From Cuba, I want to oppose a war in the Caribbean,” the Colombian president also stated, adding that “neither missiles nor invasion nor the blockade are solutions to humanity’s problems.”
Greeted on the tarmac by Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal, the outgoing president of Colombia was scheduled to travel to Revolution Square in Havana for the ceremonial wreath-laying at the memorial to National Hero José Martí, prior to his meeting with Díaz-Canel.
Petro meets with Colombian Students Studying Medicine in Cuba
On Saturday Petro met on with young Colombians studying at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), as part of his official visit to Cuba, which concluded today. He noted that “Cuba, has trained 2,000 Colombian doctors, helped bring about peace with the FARC, and “saved thousands of people around the world with its COVID-19 vaccine.”
According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry, the island reaffirmed its commitment to the training of these students, as part of the Peace Accords signed in Havana in 2016, and assured that it will honor its commitments under any circumstances.
During the official talks held Friday at the Palace of the Revolution between Presidents Miguel Díaz-Canel and Gustavo Petro, both sides reaffirmed the historic relationship of brotherhood between the two countries and peoples, based on mutual respect, cooperation and solidarity.
In their meeting Díaz-Canel acknowledged Petro’s efforts to strengthen bilateral relations, which have made significant progress in the economic, trade, and cooperation spheres, and reaffirmed Cuba’s commitment to the pursuit of peace through a negotiated political solution to the internal armed conflict in Colombia.
Cuba thanked Colombia for its condemnation of the U.S. blockade, the island’s inclusion on Washington’s unilateral list of alleged state sponsors of terrorism, and the energy blockade imposed by the United States.
Petro’s visit, his third to Cuba as Head of State, came after Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, announced the closure of the Cuban Embassy in Havana and the severing of ties with the island when he assumes the presidency next week, on August 7th.
Source: Prensa Latina translation Ed Newman Radio Havana Cuba