The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, arrived in Portugal after one o'clock in the afternoon, local time, to begin a state visit that will last until July 16, in response to an invitation extended by the government of this country, located in southwestern Europe, in the Iberian Peninsula.
 
After a trip of about eight hours and a distance of 3,895 kilometers, the Cuban president arrived in Lisbon, the capital of the Portuguese Republic. At the Humberto Delgado International Airport of this city, the dignitary was received at the foot of the stairs of the aircraft by Commander Abel Oliveira; José Pedro Machado Vieira, Portuguese ambassador to Cuba; and Yusmari Díaz Pérez, Cuban ambassador to the Portuguese nation.
 
President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, who travels accompanied by his wife Lis Cuesta Peraza, heads the delegation composed of Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Ana Teresita González Fraga, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, along with other officials of the Foreign Ministry.
 
According to the program, the Cuban president will hold talks with the highest authorities in the country. Likewise, he will exchange with other personalities from politics, culture, business, Cuba solidarity groups, and representatives of different sectors of Portuguese society who for decades have expressed their support for the Caribbean island.

Cuba and Portugal share on both sides of the Atlantic a history of 104 years of uninterrupted relations that overcomes adversities. In 2016, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa visited the largest Caribbean Island. In what constituted the first visit of a Portuguese Head of State to our country, he held meetings with Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, then President of the Councils of State and Ministers. He also met with the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro.
 
Fidel was twice in Portugal, in 1998 and 2001; however, this visit of the President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez is the first official agenda of a Cuban president to the European country.
 
This state visit by President Díaz-Canel is a symbol of the friendship and respect that have united both nations for decades.