International

President of Cuba meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican

Photo: @DiazCanelB

June 20 |

Pope Francis received this Tuesday at the Holy See the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, who is on a tour of several European countries, where they discussed issues on the bilateral and international agenda.

According to a Vatican communiqué, during the talks at the Secretariat of State “the importance of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Cuba was discussed, evoking the historic visit of St. John Paul II in 1998, of which it is the 25th anniversary”.

The note continues that during the meeting they discussed the situation in Cuba, the contribution offered by the Church, “especially in the field of charity”, as well as “some international issues of mutual interest and underlined the importance of maintaining the commitment to always promote the common good”.

According to the Vatican press service, the private audience held in the room adjacent to the Paul VI Hall lasted a little more than 30 minutes after Francis expressed to the Cuban leader “I am delighted to see you here, I am delighted that you have come”.

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For his part, Díaz-Canel affirmed that he had a “frank” conversation with Pope Francis during their 40-minute meeting on Tuesday at the Vatican.

“It was a frank conversation. We confirmed broad coincidences on pressing issues of the international agenda for humanity,” Díaz-Canel wrote on Twitter, where the Cuban presidency disseminated images of the meeting.

The Cuban president added that it was “pleasant” to meet again with the pontiff – whom he had already met during Francis’ visit to the island in 2015 – to whom he conveyed “the deep affection and wishes for the full recovery of the Cuban people.”

Later, Diaz-Canel met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by Monsignor Daniel Pacho, Undersecretary for the Multilateral Sector of the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations.

The Cuban head of state arrived at 10:00 a.m. (local time) at the Vatican headquarters where he was received by the head of the Prefecture of the Papal Household, Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza.

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Although this is the fourth meeting between Diaz-Canel and His Holiness, it is the first as president and he is the third Cuban leader to travel to the Vatican since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.

In line with the presidential agenda, the Cuban leader will meet this same day with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as part of his official visit to Italy as part of his international tour of Europe.

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.