Belo Horizonte, Brazi -  About 200 delegates and guests are participating here today at the 23rd Brazilian Convention of Solidarity with Cuba, which this time pays special tribute to Fidel Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara.

The fight against the economic, financial and commercial blockade the United States has maintained on Cuba for more than 50 years and the return of the territory illegally occupied by the Guantanamo naval base, are among the main issues of the agenda, Jose Antonio Vieira told Prensa Latina.

The director general of the Jose Marti Cultural Association in Minas Gerais stated that another of the objectives of the Convention will be to achieve a greater unity of the solidarity movement with Cuba in Brazil, which has had for 31 years in this entity one of its most solid mainstays.

The Association is known, respected and supported by the social movements in this Brazilian state, where Cuba has and always had many friends, he noted.

The call to the 23rd Brazilian Convention of Solidarity states that it will be carried out 'aware that a genocidal economic, financial and commercial blockade is being maintained on Cuba; the Guantanamo naval base remains illegally occupied, and subversive actions still remain' by the United States.

The Latin American peoples are living today in a context marked by a cruel and arrogant offensive of imperialism against the progressive governments; and the need to strengthen unity among our peoples in defense of sovereignty and self-determination is becoming more evident, the text states.

The program of the meeting includes the holding of keynote speeches on the U.S. blockade and the return of Guantanamo Bay; the results and benefits derived from the application of the More Doctors program; and the updating of the Cuban economic model and the progress in its implementation.

The presentation and approval of the Charter of Belo Horizonte and the election of the venue of the next meeting will end the debates of the meeting, culminating on June 17th with a political-cultural event denominated Internationalist Solidarity Day.