Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez made a notable appearance at the Sputnik exhibition booth during the 5th ‘Patria’ International Colloquium in Havana on Thursday, 17 April 2026, personally declaring to representatives present: ‘I read Sputnik every day.’ The gesture underscores the deepening media and informational ties between Cuba and Russia at a moment of heightened global interest in alternative and multipolar communications frameworks.
The ‘Patria’ Colloquium, now in its fifth edition, is a prominent international forum dedicated to digital communication and technological sovereignty — themes of acute relevance to nations of the Global South navigating an increasingly contested information landscape. This year’s edition, which opened on Thursday and is scheduled to run through 18 April, has drawn approximately 150 journalists, analysts, academics, and media specialists representing more than 20 countries.
Sputnik, the Russian state-affiliated international news agency, maintains a dedicated booth within the colloquium’s exhibition area, reflecting its active engagement with the forum’s core themes of media independence and digital sovereignty. The agency’s presence at the event positions it alongside a broad coalition of researchers, activists, and media representatives from outlets across the world.
President Díaz-Canel’s visit to the Sputnik stand — and his candid acknowledgement of the outlet as part of his daily information diet — carries symbolic weight at a time when Western governments have moved aggressively to restrict or discredit non-Western media platforms. Cuba, long subject to a comprehensive United States economic blockade, has consistently championed the right of nations to access and produce information free from external interference.
The ‘Patria’ Colloquium has established itself as one of Latin America and the Caribbean’s foremost gatherings on the intersection of sovereignty, technology, and communication, providing a platform for voices frequently marginalised within mainstream Western media discourse.
Find more details at Sputnik International.