The ambassador of Cuba in Austria, Juan Antonio Fernandez Palacios, expressed on Thursday the satisfaction and gratitude for the donation of the Vienna authorities of 10 collectors of solid urban waste for Havana, as a contribution for its 500th anniversary.

The diplomat received at his residence representatives of Department 48 of the City Hall, protagonists of the initiative, in a meeting with senior officials of the company Transimport, in charge of the technical and logistical coordination for the delivery of the donation.

Fernandez thanked the proposal for cooperation between Havana and Vienna, and specifically for the express will to send these 10 vehicles to Cuba, which "reissue similar and invaluable experience between both cities in the years 2000 and 2001".

He acknowledged that the collection of solid urban waste in Havana is one of the most complex issues in the Cuban capital, as nearly half of the trucks required are paralyzed, which makes it difficult to collect the more than 23 thousand cubic meters of garbage that daily are generated.

In this regard, the donation of collector vehicles will constitute an important contribution to the enormous efforts and actions underway to guarantee that vital sanitation work of the city, he said.

He introduced Juan Carlos Fee, Director of Imports, and Jorge Luis Fontova, Technician of Technical Assistance of Transimport, the Cuban central supply and sales entity of heavy equipment and its parts.

He indicated that due to his experience in importing heavy equipment, the Government of Havana has asked them to assume the tasks necessary to carry out the shipment of the equipment.

He said that the time of the donation is very timely, just as part of the celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Villa San Cristóbal Foundation.

Fernandez Palacios recalled that tomorrow, November 16, Havana celebrates 499 years and next 2019, it will be the great commemoration for the 500.

(With information from Prensa Latina)