“When Cuba is defended, the self-determination of peoples is defended,” affirmed Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, on Saturday at a solidarity meeting with the largest island of the Antilles.
The Cuban president specified that it is a matter of the right to sovereignty against the attempt by a power to dictate the world’s destiny; and a strategic necessity, “because it has already happened to Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and it can happen to any nation if we do not prevent it,” he said.
Diaz-Canel expressed his gratitude for the presence of approximately 40 friends representing various groups and countries, including international students from the Pinar del Río Medical Sciences University and the Hermanos Saíz University.
“We know that being in Cuba today is an act of bravery and courage; and once again, they consistently defend their principles and do not surrender, just as the Cuban people do not,” the president emphasized during a discussion held at the Center for Strategic Management of Local Development in Pinar del Río.
“They are with our people in the centennial year of Fidel, and they have come in solidarity,” Díaz-Canel noted.
“Fidel always told us that solidarity is a debt to humanity; he taught us that it is one of the highest rungs on the ladder that one can climb; and it is not about giving what is left over, but about sharing what one has.”
The voices of supportive friends rose up against the genocidal economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States government—the longest in history, which Cubans navigate daily.
“The U.S. government has deepened the suffering of this people with a policy that has impacted everyone’s lives,” asserted Rosmery Mealy of Carlota’s Worried.
“We are here with you so you know that you will not be defeated, because you resist with dignity and strength; and it is time to strengthen our solidarity, especially when the United States tries to intimidate those who travel to Cuba.”
We, the honorable Cubans residing abroad, are prepared to offer our lives if necessary, emphasized José López, president of the José Martí Cultural Association of Miami.
“We will remain here, despite the intimidation and those who seek to frighten us, because we are part of this people and this is a stance of loyalty to the sovereignty of this nation,” he emphasized, in the presence of members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Party: Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister of the Republic; Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee; Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs; among other attendees.
This blockade, which has lasted more than 60 years and was intensified by the administration of Donald Trump, has caused, for example, the infant mortality rate to double in the last two years; tens of thousands of Cubans to be waiting for surgery; shortages of food, medicine, and energy; and the failure to finalize investment agreements and joint collaborations in agriculture.
The First Secretary of the Party referred to all of this, highlighting that, despite this adverse context, Cuban teachers and professors successfully completed the last school year.
Once again, with a free higher education system for all Cubans, which has graduated tens of thousands of professionals, including students from 62 countries around the world, among them 21 Palestinian doctors and five Americans, Miguel Diaz-Canel noted.
These kinds of solidarity gatherings have become commonplace as part of the celebrations for National Rebellion Day and reaffirm that Cuba is not alone.
IMAGE CREDIT: Evelyn Corbillón Díaz | Photo: Omara García Mederos
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
