Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented his Cuban counterpart, Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermúdez, with a letter sent by Cuban President Thomas Estrada Palma in 1902 to the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II.
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Erdogan also presented his Cuban counterpart with the reply letter that the Ottoman Empire sent to Cuba at that time.
The Palma letter affirms “the intention of the Republic of Cuba to maintain friendly relations with the Ottoman Empire.”
For his part, Bermudez expressed his thanks to President Erdogan for the valuable gift and indicated that he had not seen this document before, saying: “It is a completely historical document.”
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In the message that Palma sent to the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II, it read: “I have the honor to inform Your Excellency that the territory occupied by the United States of America was evacuated and the Republic of Cuba was established at noon on May 20, 1902, and that I assumed the executive power conferred on me by the Cuban Constitution.”
And she added: “I declare in the name of the Cuban people the steadfast determination of the Republic of Cuba to maintain sincere and friendly relations with all societies, especially with the Ottoman Empire.
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As stated in the response letter from the Ottoman Empire to Cuba: “Our noble, high-ranking, loving and glorious friend, the message of friendship was received and studied by you, which includes the formation of the Cuban government, your assumption of executive power, your desire to build friendship and your good intentions that will strengthen the friendship relations between the Ottoman Empire and Cuba that sends happiness, and it was written And send this message of friendship with the wish that your higher person will be a lasting success.”
