The HMCS Margaret Brooke ship, a patrol vessel of the Royal Canadian Navy, arrived at the port of Havana this Friday, during a visit that coincides with a period of heightened military activity in the region.
This event occurs just hours after the United States announced that its nuclear submarine USS Helena had docked at the Guantanamo Naval Base, and following the arrival of Russian warships and a nuclear submarine to the island earlier this week.
The HMCS Margaret Brooke, a ship of the Royal Canadian Navy, began its maneuvers early on Friday to enter the port of the Cuban capital. It hadn't visited the island since 2016 when it was in Havana during the week in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an official visit to Cuba.
According to the Canadian Joint Operations Command, this visit is being carried out "in recognition of the long-standing bilateral relationship between Canada and Cuba."
During their stay, the Canadian crew has scheduled activities that include courtesy visits to the Chief of the Revolutionary Navy of Cuba and the Governor of Havana, as well as tours of historical and cultural places of interest.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this week the arrival of the Canadian navy ship and the arrival on Saturday, June 15, in Santiago de Cuba, of the training ship "Simón Bolívar" from Venezuela.
The visit of military vessels comes in a context of remarkable international tension. On Wednesday, Russian ships, including the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, arrived in Havana after conducting exercises with high-precision missiles in the Atlantic.
Russia described these movements as routine and assured that they do not pose a threat to the region.
On its part, the United States Southern Command reported that the nuclear submarine USS Helena had arrived at Guantanamo Bay. They assured that the location and transit of the vessel had been previously planned.
Canadian authorities indicate that the arrival of the HMCS Margaret Brooke is a routine operation and unrelated to the presence of Russian ships and the American submarine.
Despite the temporal and geographical proximity of these military movements, both the United States and Cuba have indicated that the Russian warships do not pose a threat.
The convergence of ships from Canada, Russia, and the United States in Cuba, just 160 kilometers from Florida, has evoked memories of the Cold War and highlights the current tensions between Russia and Western countries due to the war in Ukraine.
It is expected that the Russian warships will remain in the port of Havana until June 17, coinciding with the departure of the HMCS Margaret Brooke. The visit of the USS Helena to Guantánamo will also be until similar dates.
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