By Firstdespatch Desk Aug 20, 2026
Agartala, Aug 20 (FD) India has played an important and influential role in the Global South for decades and continues to emerge as a key player in international politics, Cuban Ambassador to India Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera said during his visit to Tripura on Thursday.
The Ambassador arrived in Agartala to address two rallies being organised by the CPI(M) in Sabroom and Agartala as part of the observance of the birth centenary of Cuba’s revolutionary leader and former President Fidel Castro.
A delegation of senior CPI(M) leaders, led by former MP and CITU president Sankar Prasad Datta, received the Cuban Ambassador at the airport and welcomed him to the state. 
Recalling the long-standing historical ties between India and Cuba, Aguilera said India had played a leading role in the Non-Aligned Movement during the 1960s. He referred to the historic meeting between Fidel Castro and India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in New York in 1960, during which, he said, the two leaders discussed strengthening cooperation between their countries and working towards a New International Economic Order.
“India continues to play this role of non-alignment and is a key player in international politics, supporting the Global South through cooperation,” the Cuban Ambassador said.
Highlighting the expanding areas of India-Cuba cooperation, Aguilera referred to renewable energy as an important area of engagement. Cuba, he said, is a founding member of the International Solar Alliance, an initiative launched by India to promote renewable energy and solar energy cooperation globally.
Cuba is working closely with the alliance as part of its efforts to accelerate the country’s energy transition, he said, while also referring to the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure as another important international initiative led by India.
The Ambassador also praised India’s Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scholarship programme, saying that more than 700 Cuban professionals have travelled to India to receive training and gain experience in diverse fields, including artificial intelligence, new technologies, agriculture, science and biotechnology.
Describing India as the “pharmacy of the world”, Aguilera said the country plays a crucial role in supplying affordable medicines to nations across the Global South.
He said India is also Cuba’s leading supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients and other raw materials required for manufacturing medicines in the Caribbean nation.
Expressing satisfaction over the growing partnership between the two countries, Aguilera said Cuba was keen to further deepen and diversify bilateral cooperation with India in the years ahead.
The Ambassador’s visit to Tripura, coinciding with the birth centenary observance of Fidel Castro, has brought renewed focus on the long-standing friendship between India and Cuba, as well as the evolving role of the two countries in promoting cooperation among nations of the Global South. FD JK