SOCIETY 375

SOCIETY
controlled and directed by the powerful
northern neighbour. In Europe, a
small Alpine nation, devastated by the
bloody world war and occupied by the
victorious powers, tried to assert its
independence. Circumstances made
it possible. Historians document the
first contact in the eighteenth century
by the Order of the Jesuits, and in
particular, the presence in Havana of
Juan Nepomuceno von Goetz, priest
of the diocese of Konstanz and a professor
of moral philosophy at Vienna
University arrived in 1803. In Havana
theatres, the famous ballerina Fanny
Elssler danced in 1841. The first world
In Austria, there are
also the remains of
those brave compatriots
fighting against
Nazi-fascism who died
in the concentration
camps in Mauthausen.
chess champion, Wilhelm Steinitz,
successfully defended his crown in
Havana Chess Club headquarters in
1889 and 1892 twice. Three Austrians
fought in the Liberation Army during
the wars for our independence
against Spanish colonialism in the
nineteenth century. Jamey Stewart,
John Taks and Maximiliano Jastcha
were also “mambises”. Likewise, in
1894, at the International Congress of
Hygiene and Demography, the illustrious
Cuban scientist Carlos J. Finlay
unveiled its research on yellow fever
that culminated with the discovery of
the transmitting agent, the mosquito
Aedes Aegyptis. In Austria, there
are also the remains of those brave
compatriots fighting against Nazi-fascism
who died in the concentration
camps in Mauthausen. The visit of the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba to
Austria in 2017 is a fact of remarkable
transcendence. I would like to highlight
now the possibilities of cooperation,
which are being negotiated in the
judicial sector, in aspects such as the
legal assistance and the improvement
of the infrastructure and operation
of the registry system of Cuba. The
sector of culture is an example of the
good level of relations, especially in
music. There is a good relationship
between Mozarteum Foundation
(Salzburg) and The Mozart Lyceum of
Havana. Other sectors with extensive
possibilities of exchange are renewable
energy, waste treatment and
recycling. In this sense, the decision
of the City Hall of Vienna to donate
a package of trucks as contribution
to improve the system of collection
of waste and garbage in the Cuban
capital, Havana, in the framework of
the 500th anniversary of the founding
of Havana has been remarkable. There
are many possibilities and decisions
of both parties to enhance the commercial
and economic relations where
opportunities and needs of mutual
interest have been identified, which
will require greater efforts and work
on both sides in the coming years. We
are proud of the many friends we have
in Austria. We take this opportunity to
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