Spanish Royals Visit Havana For 500th Anniversary Celebrations
Muhammad Irfan Published November 12, 2019 | 11:40 AM
Spain's King Felipe VI begins an unprecedented visit to Cuba on Tuesday to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the capital Havana at a time of increased tensions between the island nation and the United States
Havana, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2019 ) :Spain's King Felipe VI begins an unprecedented visit to Cuba on Tuesday to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the capital Havana at a time of increased tensions between the island nation and the United States.
King Felipe is traveling alongside Queen Letizia in the first state visit by a Spanish monarch to the former colony, one of the last to gain independence from Madrid in 1898.
The capital -- a magnet for millions of tourists every year -- is celebrating the anniversary of its foundation on November 16, 1519.
However, the wider political context is anything but festive as relations with the United States have soured considerably since President Donald Trump replaced Barack Obama almost three years ago.
Washington accuses Cuba of oppressing its people and providing military support to Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, thus helping thwart a US bid to force out the socialist leader in favor of parliament speaker Juan Guaido.
Last month Washington announced the suspension of all flights from the US to Cuba except to Havana as the Trump administration continues to roll back the improved ties instigated by Obama.
Cuba has increasingly turned towards traditional allies Russia and Venezuela for support, but also the European Union.
"Faced with the harassment of Cuba by the Trump administration, the royal couple's journey to the island can be interpreted as a support to economic, political, cultural relations and cooperation between Cuba and Spain," said Raynier Pellon, an expert at the center for international political research in Havana.
- 'A Clear Message' - For Cuban researcher Arturo Lopez-Levy from the Holy Names University in the US, it's "a clear message to the White House." Cuba's third largest economic partner -- after China and Venezuela -- with $1.39 billion in 2018, Spain has not shied away from criticizing Trump's policies.
Foreign minister Josep Borrell, who is accompanying the royal couple, blasted the Trump administration in May for an "abuse of power" after Washington gave the green light a month earlier for Cuban exiles to use US courts to sue private companies and the Cuban government over properties nationalized after the 1959 revolution.
King Felipe will meet Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel during his visit and join Havana's official historian Eusebio Leal for a tour of its fabled cobblestone streets.
The king will bring a self-portrait by Francisco Goya, on loan for a month by Madrid's Prado Museum, to be displayed in Havana's Museum of Fine Arts.
However, he and Letizia will leave the island before the official celebrations begin on Friday and Saturday, when several other Latin American leaders will attend.
"The clear reason," according to Carlos Malamud, a researcher from the Elcano institute in Madrid, "is the government's desire to avoid awkward contact with Daniel Ortega and Nicolas Maduro."The left-wing presidents of Nicaragua and Venezuela -- widely criticized by the European Union for oppressing their own people -- have not yet confirmed their attendance.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz in police uniform at Chung police center
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 25 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 25 April 2024
Mired in crisis, Boeing reports another loss
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
Pakistan, Japan agrees to convene 'Economic Policy Dialogue'
FM Dar conveys deepest sympathy on torrential rains devastation in UAE
Spain PM Sanchez says weighing resignation after wife's graft probe
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
Long-lost Klimt portrait auctioned off for 30 mn euros
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
More Stories From Business
-
EXCHANGE RATES FOR CURRENCY NOTES
13 minutes ago -
Foreign exchange rates
33 minutes ago -
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 25 April 2024
2 hours ago -
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 25 April 2024
2 hours ago -
Meta profits soar but costs of AI cause worry
3 hours ago -
Mired in crisis, Boeing reports another loss
12 hours ago
-
Pakistan, Japan agrees to convene 'Economic Policy Dialogue'
12 hours ago -
British-Pakistani firm unveils $35 million luxury apartments for overseas Pakistanis in Islamabad
12 hours ago -
European stocks lose momentum after global rally
12 hours ago -
New pulses varieties imperative to cater domestic food requirements: Dr Khalid Hasan
13 hours ago -
CEO KP-EZDMC meets CRBC officials
14 hours ago -
Pakistan among nine poor countries that produces 90 percent cigarettes for world
14 hours ago