HAVANA, Cuba.- The Latin American Identity and Integration Forum, sponsored by the Argentinean Foreign Ministry, confirmed the validity of the political thinking of Cuba´s National Hero Jose Marti.

After an analysis of Marti´s essay Our America, text that surprises people for its literary beauty and for the validity of its content and resumes and exposes the essential Latin American thinking, integration and anti imperialist ideas of the island´s most important independence leader.

This was expressed by Ana Sanchez, Director of the Center of Jose Marti Studies, based in Havana who pointed out that the essay was published on January 1st, 1891 in a New York magazine.

According to a report by Prensa Latina News Agency, the Cuban academic said that Our America is also characterized by its scientific rigor and early warning on the dangers that the US represented for the nations to the South.

Diego Tettamanti, Under Secretary of Latin American Policy of the Argentinean Foreign Ministry recalled that our independence leaders in general thought of Latin America at that time.

He recalled that during the 19th century, foreign influence pushed forward a plan of isolation among our nations, while the following century was marked by political instability and foreign intervention.

They, said the diplomat, led to policies in compliance with foreign interests and in the late 20th century, a consciousness of the region was born that it was possible and necessary to join forces with a common integration project.

Latin America and the Caribbean today looks to the future as one, said Tettamanti while looking back to the number of regional blocks created in the so called sub continent.

Jorge Lamadrid, Cuba´s ambassador to Argentina, recognized the value of the Latin American Identity and Integration Forum and added that Argentina –Cuba bilateral ties are at its best moment.

The Argentinean diplomat praised the fact that over 150 thousand citizens from the South American country have visited the island in the last 16 months which reflects the current sympathy among the two peoples and highlighted the rediscovery of the bridge that unites us.