President Diaz-Canel Arrives in London in Transit to Cuba

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel arrived in the United Kingdom on Monday on a transit visit to his country, the culmination of his first tour through Europe and Asia after taking office last April.

Diaz-Canel arrived at London's Gatwick airport from Laos, the last stop on a journey that begun earlier this month in France - also on a brief stopover - Russia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, China and Vietnam.

During his stay in London, the president will be received by local authorities and will meet with representatives of the British movement of solidarity with Cuba and embassy's officials, diplomatic sources told Prensa Latina.

At the beginning of his tour, the statesman met in Paris with the French Prime Minister, Édouard Philippe, and with the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, at the headquarters of that United Nations organization.

After passing through the French capital, he began the official journey with visits to the aforementioned nations, where he was received by his Russian peers, Vladimir Putin; North Korean, Kim Jong Un; Chinese, Xi Jinping; Vietnamese, Nguyen Phu Trong; and Lao's leader, Bounnhang Vorachith.

He also made a technical stopover in the Chinese city of Urumqi, where he met with Xinjiang Province Vice President Zhang Chunlin.

Described as fruitful, during the tour Diaz-Canel reviewed the progress of political and economic ties with those countries in order to give them a new boost.

In addition, he signed important bilateral agreements in the sphere of trade and cooperation, which will contribute to strengthening the already excellent relations between the respective governments and peoples.