Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel received Tahir Budagov, a senior official from Azerbaijan's New Azerbaijan Party, to advance bilateral relations. The visit marks a milestone in ties between the Communist Party of Cuba and the New Azerbaijan Party, as well as between the two countries. Both sides exchanged greetings and invitations, reaffirming their commitment to deeper cooperation.
On Tuesday afternoon, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba's Central Committee and President of the Republic, received Tahir Budagov, Vice President and Head of the Central Office of the New Azerbaijan Party, at the Palace of the Revolution. Díaz-Canel stated that Cuba and Azerbaijan "are in a position to continue strengthening, expanding, and deepening our relations," describing the visit as a milestone for party and bilateral ties.
The Cuban leader sent warm greetings to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, inviting him to visit Cuba when his schedule allows. Budagov conveyed Aliyev's greetings and invited Díaz-Canel to return to Azerbaijan, recalling his visit to Baku in October 2019 for the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, where they held a fruitful exchange.
Díaz-Canel emphasized the historic nature of bilateral relations, rooted in the legacies of founding leaders Heydar Aliyev and Fidel Castro Ruz, and expressed political will to bolster inter-party links as a foundation for advancing economic, trade, and high-level contacts. He thanked Azerbaijan for its longstanding support of Cuba's UN resolution against the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade, and against the island's inclusion on the list of alleged state sponsors of terrorism.
Both parties agreed that the Exchange and Collaboration Agreement signed between the Communist Party of Cuba and the New Azerbaijan Party opens a new stage in friendship and cooperation.
Prior to the main meeting, Esteban Lazo Hernández, a Political Bureau member of the Party's Central Committee, President of the National Assembly of People's Power, and of the Council of State, received Budagov at the National Capitol. They agreed on the importance of consolidating relations between parties, parliaments, governments, and peoples. Budagov expressed solidarity with Cuba over the damage from Hurricane Melissa and thanked the country for the internationalist contribution of the Henry Reeve Medical Brigade in fighting COVID-19 in Azerbaijan. He highlighted Fidel's legacy as "a symbol of invincibility and strength".
Both reaffirmed mutual interest in expanding legislative ties, recently strengthened by visits such as that of Ana María Mari Machado to Azerbaijan in 2022 for the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, and Sahiba Gafarova to Havana in September 2023.