Ambassador of Cuba, H.E. Soraya Elena Alvarez Nuñez and her spouse, Mr Eduardo Morales.
By Catherine van der Loos.
On Thursday, August 17, the diplomatic calendar in The Hague opened unofficially with a lively “end of summer” evening hosted by the Embassy of Cuba.
Ambassador Soraya Elena Alvarez Nuñez and her spouse, Mr Eduardo Morales graciously welcomed invited guests to a “Meet and Greet” reception held in “Ambassador Room” at the Carlton Ambassador Hotel, for an informal evening of music, mojitos, traditional fare, Cuban cigars and dancing.
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Ambassador Alvarez Nunez addressed the audience as follow: “After returning from the vacation period, it is a pleasure to share with all of you this beautiful Thursday afternoon, in which we invite you to enjoy the cozy premises of the Carlton Ambassador Hotel, who has opened his doors to us to show part of the Cuban culture: our exquisite food, our cocktails, renowned drinks, and even letting ourselves be carried away by the tropical rhythms of our music.
I will take this opportunity to convey a special thanks to all the collaborators of Diplomat Magazine, who have made us, feel part of this great diplomatic family and have supported us to make a reality this beautiful event.”
Following the ambassador’s brief introduction, Kiko Ortega, the DJ hired for the event, played “Guantanamera,” a patriotic folk song loved by millions throughout the Western Hemisphere and around the world.
The song, synonymous with the island nation, in the heart of Caribbean, infused the reception with a relaxed tropical atmosphere and served to put the ambassador’s numerous guests immediately at ease with each other.
In addition to many representatives from the Dutch government; official representatives from more than twenty countries with diplomatic missions to the Netherlands attended the event. Diplomat Magazine and Carlton Ambassador, co-sponsored the event together with Mr. Manolis Arvanitis, the General Manager of the Diplomatic Card.
In a clear display of collegiality, many ambassadors warmly accepted Ambassador Alvarez Nuñez’s invitation to a “Meet and Greet” evening. Ambassadors from Chile, H.E. Maria Teresa de Jesús Infante Caffi, Georgia H.E. Konstantine Surguladze, Germany, H.E. Dirk Brengelmann, Iraq, H.E. Saywan Sabir Barzani, Lebanon, Ms Abir Ali, Pakistan, H.E. Iffat Imran Gardezi, Russia, H.E. Alexander Shulgin, Senegal, H.E. Momar Diop, Sri Lanka, H.E. Adam Jaufer Sadiq, Tunisia, H.E. Elyes Ghariani, and Venezuela, H.E. Haifa Aissami Madah were among those who were present.
Representatives from the embassies of Argentina, Brazil, Iran, Malaysia, Peru, South Africa, Surinam, Tanzania, Turkey and The United States of America also responded to the invitation to celebrate an “authentic” Cuban evening with the ambassador and her family and staff.
The Minister Plenipotentiary of Curacao, Leendert A.B. Rojer and the Registrar at the International Court of Justice, S.E. M. Philippe Couvreur were among the many other distinguished guests from the diplomatic, academic, legal, journalistic, professional and political communities who were invited.
Guests were offered“mojitos”, Cuban rums and served Arroz Moro, pork, mixed salad and “Old Havana” hamburgers. A generous selection of Cuban coffee and cigars were available for guests to enjoy between the olive trees on the hotel’s sunny garden terrace while dancers performed inside the Ambassador Room.
As a gesture of goodwill and for the purpose of cultural diplomacy, Ambassador Alvarez Nuñez’s staff presented guests takeaway bags filled with “holiday dreams” to be shared with armchair travellers at home. The bags included a copy of “Auténtica Cuba”, the country’s latest travel brochure promoting the country as a year round holiday destination.
Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean, offers a temperate climate and a variety of travel experiences for everyone to discover and enjoy.
“Auténtica Cuba” is an invitation to explore the island’s 300 km of fine sandy beaches, 5,000 km of coastline, warm tranquil waters, coral reefs, historic cities and nine UNESCO cultural and natural world heritage sites.
With major airline carriers offering daily nonstop flights from Amsterdam to Havana, Cuba has never been closer. The great explorer Christopher Columbus, according to “Auténtica Cuba,” described the island’s natural splendour as, “the most beautiful land that human eyes have seen.” After enjoying the ambassador’s warm introduction to “authentic Cuba,” many guests are likely to plan their own “meet and greet” with the Cuba for an island holiday in the near future!
