Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel ratified at a meeting with Cuban residents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) the will to strengthen the country's ties with its nationals abroad.

Dubai.- During the meeting held on Thursday, Díaz-Canel highlighted that most Cuban residents in the UAE live in Dubai, and this group was tiny in this Arab nation 20 years ago.

The Cuban president pointed out that the link with his compatriots is a permanent habit in all working visits to different countries. He also reflected on the meetings initiated by the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, and continued by Army General Raúl Castro.

Díaz-Canel’s statement came during the 4th Conference “The Nation and Emigration,” held in Havana in September. He noted that “changing the name of the event: not to speak of emigration but Cubans living abroad, with which no prejudice whatsoever should be held will be necessary.”

The Cuban head of State said that the new Cuban Constitution and the Family Code, recently approved, are examples of regulations that have taken into account the opinion of those who live outside Cuba but feel that they are sons of the nation.

Díaz-Canel explained the main reasons for his official working visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he is attending the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), and commented about the official meeting with UAE’s President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. (PL)