Fidel Castro Makes Rare Public Appearance During Cheese Summit In Cuba

Fidel Castro made a rare public appearance during a cheese summit on Friday.

The former Cuban president’s outing comes just three days after his brother, Raul Castro, announced a formal agreement to normalize diplomatic relations with the United States.

The photos of Fidel Castro, 88, appear to show that the former leader of Cuba is alive and well — issues which have been up for debate. Castro left his Havana home and visited 19 cheese masters over the course of four hours, according a release from the official state media agency on Saturday.

The last time the elder Castro was seen in public was during a visit with Venezuelan students three months ago. The visit with the students was the first public appearance for the former Cuban president in more than a year.

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Official state media photos of the Fidel Castro public appearance state that the images were taken at a Food Industry Ministry research institute. Castro is shown seated as part of a panel in an auditorium. The military uniform Castro had been photographed in for decades was gone. The former leader was clad in gray pants and a plaid shirt.

In 2006, Fidel Castro stepped down from the presidency on a provisional basis due to illness. In 2008, Raul Castro, 84, was given leadership authority of the island nation. The former president reportedly pens a newspaper on occasion, and “receives dignitaries” at his Havana home.

During the cheese summit, Food Industry Ministry officials reportedly stated that they wanted to bring cheese quality levels back to the status it has enjoyed before the economic fallout following the dismantling of the Soviet Union. Fidel Castro discussed cheese production difficulties prompted by climate change during the cheese makers summit, according to the state media release.

Fidel Castro helped lead the Cuban Revolution and served as president of Cuba from 1976 to 2008. The trade embargo with the Communist nation had been in effect for 54 years before President Barack Obama announced plans to “normalize” the relationship between America and its neighbor.

The highly controversial decision to lift economic sanctions with Cuba, while stating that such measures have not worked, came just several months after similar trade dictates were formalized against Russia.

What do you think about the Fidel Castro public appearance and the new diplomatic status to be enjoyed by Cuban and the United States?

[Image via Gary Yim / Shutterstock]