Ecuador's Ex-President Correa Meets With Raul Castro in Havana

Ecuador's former leader, Rafael Correa, met Friday with Cuban leader Raul Castro in an informal visit to Havana durin a visit to the island this week.

Leader of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), Raul Castro, and former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa spoke on Friday in Havana on topics of regional and international current events during Correa’s unofficial visit to the island.

Correa has been visiting Cuba privately for several days, but his stay had not been confirmed until Friday by local media.

During the friendly meeting, the two leaders discussed regional and international affairs and agreed that their nations will continue to challenge imperialism from the North and to defend their sovereignty.

Local media also said that Correa reiterated his solidarity with the people of Cuba, "at a time when the U.S. government is increasing its actions against" the island with the ramped up economic, commercial and financial blockade on the Caribbean country by the Donald Trump administration.

Correa was president of Ecuador between January 2007 and May 2017. The former leader has also been accused of receiving irregular financing from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht for the 'Alianza País' party when it was under Correa's leadership, who currently resides in Belgium.

To date, the Ecuadorean government has been unable to produce any sound evidence regarding the accusations against Correa who says the current Lenin Moreno administration is committing lawfare against him. Moreno, who also served as vice president under Correa, has threatened to have Correa arrested if he returns to Ecuador. The ex-president has been living in Belgium with his wife, who is from the European country, and his children since leaving office two years ago.

"They have reviewed our financial and migratory movements, our phones and computers, they have illegally opened our private chats, they have reviewed thousands of emails, they have come to film my house, my family, how we live," denounced Correa in early September about the political persecution of the current Ecuadorean government.

The Ecuadorean politician’s most previous trip to Cuba was in April 2018 when he filmed in Havana his program "Conversing with Correa," broadcast by the international media outlet, Russia Today (RT).