At the suggestion of the Historian’s Office of the of Havana and with the support of the Embassy, ​​within the framework of the celebrations on the occasion of the National Day of Bulgaria – 3 March, held an official ceremony to unveil a commemorative plaque in honor of the 105th anniversary of the establishment of the Bulgarian National Union of Labor and Production Cooperatives, mounted on the wall of the emblematic building of the Belen Monastery in Old Havana.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vladislav Lazarov, President of the National Union of Labor-Production Cooperatives in Bulgaria and member of the Council of the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives (CECOP), pointed the event as "an example of how a memorandum, signed in 2023 between two institutions, Bulgarian and Cuban, of equal importance for their countries, can be a working mechanism, filled with activities and meaning."

Arch. Perla Rosales, Acting General Director of the Historian’s Office of the City of Havana shared her impressions of a recent successful visit to Bulgaria, during which she had the opportunity to get to know closely the activities of numerous cooperatives throughout Bulgaria. She explained that many of these cooperatives have activities similar to those practiced at the Belén Monastery, which is why the Historian’s Office is already thinking “how it can turn this great Cuban project into a cooperative”. The Belén Monastery building was chosen as suitable for placing the memorial plaque precisely in order to “mark the beginning of the transformation aimed at improving the quality of life of the elderly inhabitants of the monastery and those working in it”.

The plaque is a part of series of "Bulgarian traces" in Havana, among which are: Art installation "I Love Bulgaria" in the garden of the Bulgarian diplomatic mission; restaurant "Bulgaria"; monument of the Bulgarian national hero Hristo Botev; memorial plaque with a stone from the Veliki Preslav fortress; monument to Captain Georgi Georgiev and a wall of Bulgaria in the mosaic city created by the Cuban artist Fuster.

The Embassy is working with the Historian’s Office on development of a virtual and walking route "Bulgarian Traces in Havana".