Havana, Cuba.- President of the National Assembly and the Council of State of Cuba, Esteban Lazo, sent to the Australian people and government a message of solidarity following the damages caused by devastating bushfires in that nation.

‘On behalf of the National Assembly of People’s Power, our people and myself, I wish to express our heartfelt condolences to the relatives of the deceased, to the Australian Parliament and people for all the damage caused by the bushfires,’ reads the message posted on the Cuban Assembly website.

In the message sent to the Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, Tony Smith, Lazo regrets the loss of human life, the impact on flora and fauna, and the high economic damages caused by the large-scale fires.

The president of the National Assembly of Cuba expressed his concern about the effects of climate change, which as well as causing and leading to the rapid spread of bushfires, causes drought, the melting of glaciers, and ‘other life-threatening phenomena.’

Earlier, on January 7, President of the Republic Miguel Diaz-Canel extended his condolences and the solidarity of the Cuban people to Australians on his Twitter account.