Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez, 1st President to arrive in Cuba for Summit

Raul Castro, Cristina Fernandez, Fidel Castro and Dalia Soto del Valle during the Argentine president’s last visit to Cuba in January 2013.

HAVANA TIMES — The president of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner arrived today in Havana to attend the second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), reported dpa news.

The arrival of Cristina, heading the first top level delegation to arrive,  came 72 hours before the start of the event set for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Argentine delegation includes Foreign Minister Hector Timerman and Public Communication Secretary Alfredo Soccimarro, among other officials.

The Argentine cabinet chief Jorge Capitanich, predicted the previous day that the president will use the event to meet with leaders of the region to enhance trade, but without specifying the possible gatherings.

Uruguayan President Jose Mujica announced his intention to meet with Cristina Kirchner in Havana, although the foreign ministers of both countries failed to agree on the time of the encounter.

Also possible is a new meeting with Fidel Castro, as Cristina did during previous visits, the last in January 2013.

After a month’s absence from the public stage, Fernandez reappeared this week to announce the “Progress Program,” a plan of economic aid to benefit 1.5 million students.

Her previous appearance was on December 19, leading to speculation about her health .

Argentina’s president is scheduled to join Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff and Raul Castro on Monday for the opening of the container terminal at the port of Mariel, one of the priority economic projects for the Cuban government to attract foreign investment.

Cristina Fernandez’s last visit to Havana was in January 2013, to learn firsthand the state of health of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who at that time was receiving medical treatment for his cancer .

3 thoughts on “Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez, 1st President to arrive in Cuba for Summit”

  • Lacking the petroleum cash cow that Venezuela possesses, Argentina will be forced to resolve their crisis sooner. In addition, Argentinians are less ideologic in socialist voodoo economics so their capacity to abandon the Castro socialist playbook is much higher. Besides, her term as President is up next year so how much worse can it get?

  • The internet is abuzz with the ‘chisme’ that Fernandez arrived early to be checked out by Cuban doctors regarding her health issues. Remember how Chavez first denied his illness as well then declared himself completely cured only to ultimaely die in the midst of speculation and innuendo. Only in Cuba can these leftists leaders be guaranteed the privacy they seek to resolve their medical issues while maintaining the confidence of their people.

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