Nicaragua and Cuba officially restored their diplomatic
relations on Tuesday.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega accepted the credentials from
new Cuban Ambassador Luis Hernandez Ojeda, marking the formal
restoration of the ties between the two countries.
Speaking at a ceremony, Ortega said that Nicaragua and Cuba have
dispatched ambassadors to each other's countries and that they
would strengthen their brotherly friendship and solidarity.
Pledging support for Cuba in future international conferences,
the Nicaraguan president asked the international community to
respect the human rights of the Cuban people, and asked the United
States to end its economic embargoes against the Caribbean
country.
Relations between Cuba and Nicaragua were downgraded to the
charge d'affaires level in the mid-1990s. Ortega announced to
restore diplomatic relations with Cuba after he took office as
president of the Central American country in January.
(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2007)
