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Departing Cuban Ambassador honoured
Belize and Cuba have had as close
a diplomatic relationship as any two countries in
the region. And over the last four years, the bonds
of that deepening friendship took on a very public
image, with the assignment of Regla Diaz as Cuba's
first ambassador to Belize. On Thursday night,
friends of the departing diplomat, who also served
as dean of the diplomatic corps, gathered at the
House of Culture to bid her farewell. Prime Minister
Said Musa used the occasion to bestow on Diaz the
Meritorious Service Award in recognition of her
tireless efforts to advance relations between the
two countries.
 Prime
Minister Said Musa
“Belize is grateful for the work you have done
here during your tenure as Ambassador. You have done
your country proud. You have not only furthered the
cooperation efforts between our countries, but at
the same time you have been very active as the Dean
of the Diplomatic Corps in working towards a more
pro-active diplomatic community. For all this and
being the wonderful person you are, Belize will miss
you. We wish you well in your future career, and
send with you our greetings and respect to President
Fidel Castro.”
Regla Diaz, Outgoing Cuban
Ambassador
“This is my first mission as Ambassador and I had
the honour to open the Embassy of Cuba here in
Belize. There are some different honours in the same
person, with the same heart; really for me Belize is
a special place. I worked with great pleasure. I
worked very hard, but I work in duty, to make my
duties here in the best way. I find a lot of friends
in Belize and I find a nation with a great dignity.
And for that reason I began to, since the first time
that I had the opportunity to have my first
conversation with the Belizean people, I find a
great dignity in these people. For this reason, I
began to enjoy my work here. And this order goes for
the many persons who tell me that I am a very
passionate person. But it’s not me; it’s Belize, the
special charm who provokes in me, a feeling.”
Ambassador Diaz returns to Havana
to take up duties at the foreign ministry. Her
country's major contributions to Belize's
advancement are the corps of Cuban doctors and
nurses serving here, the large number of
scholarships awarded to Belizeans to study in Cuba,
and the availability of quality advanced medical
treatment offered to Belizeans whose needs cannot be
met at home.
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