Speech delivered by Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, at the commemoration of the 95th birthday of Army General Raúl Castro Ruz and the 65th anniversary of the creation of the Ministry of the Interior, at the Karl Marx Theater, on June 5, 2026, “Year of the Centenary of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.”
(Stenographic Versions – Presidency of the Republic)
Dear Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution;
Dear combatants of the Ministry of the Interior;
Comrades:
Two anniversaries of great importance to the nation bring us together today, precisely on National Defense Day: the recent 95th birthday of our beloved Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution, and the 65th anniversary of the founding of our glorious and heroic Ministry of the Interior (Applause).
On behalf of the Party, the Government, the mass and social organizations, on behalf of the people of Cuba: Congratulations! (Applause.)
What we celebrate is not merely a coincidence of dates on the revolutionary calendar. It is also the close bond between a legacy and a leader.
In the reckoning imposed upon us by history, the founding of the Ministry of the Interior on June 6, 1961, has its roots in organizational structures created during the guerrilla struggle, particularly the Secret Service Corps of the General Staff of the 26th of July Revolutionary Army in the territories liberated by the Second Eastern Front Frank País. The order for the creation of this rebel corps was signed by the then Commander and Chief of the Second Front, Raúl Castro Ruz.
The document, accessible today among the hundreds of valuable documents that comprise his Selected Works, reveals the prescient vision of the young Commander of that guerrilla front who, at just 27 years old, understood the importance of having a structure that would allow him to identify and confront—and I quote his order verbatim—”everything that could affect, compromise, or endanger the security of our rebel forces.”
That early understanding of defensive vigilance, of never letting our guard down, of studying, anticipating, and planning counterattacks against the enemy’s plans, anticipating them with determination and cunning, as well as his profound sense of compartmentalization, have accompanied him throughout his revolutionary life, all in service of a primary objective and duty: to protect and defend the people from risks and threats, to defend the Revolution!
Under these principles and alongside Fidel, Raúl has been a teacher, guide, and inspiration for the combatants of our Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior.
Therefore, faced with the vile slander and senseless, illegal actions being launched from the mafia’s den in Florida against our Army General, the phrase “Raúl is Raúl” has taken hold on social media and far beyond (Applause), inspired by what he himself said long ago when referring to the Commander-in-Chief, to highlight the exceptional merits of his brother in blood, ideals, and battles.
Raúl, as we, the people, affectionately call him, like Fidel, is also irreplaceable and has earned a very special place in the heart of this nation for his exemplary career, the consistency of his ideas and his battles, and because he too is a pillar of this bastion of dignity and justice that Cuba continues to be, facing today the most voracious and ruthless of empires, without lowering our flags, without abdicating our dreams, and without surrendering (Applause).
Long live free Cuba! That historic cry, born in the Cuban countryside, identifies Raúl’s political oratory like no other phrase and encapsulates his passionate commitment to defending national identity and the true history of Cuba.
“Long live free Cuba!” the people chant from the public squares, gathered to repudiate the infamy of the accusations against Raúl and the criminal collective punishment being inflicted upon the entire nation—that genocide in the form of an energy blockade that seeks to suffocate the country.
The nation’s historical enemies sought to humiliate Cuba by accusing its leader, but all they have achieved is to unleash the legendary rebellion of this people who repudiate and condemn them, while singing “Happy Birthday” to the Army General on one of the most celebrated birthdays in memory.
Then come to mind the unforgettable verses of Cintio Vitier: “They have united us forever, they don’t know what they have done.”
“Raúl is Raúl,” the people chant from every platform. The idea underscores the singularity of an exceptional figure who, alongside Fidel, already occupies a distinguished place in the dignified and uplifting history of the Cuban nation for the sum of human values that set him apart.
He represents heroism, dignity, and is a moral shield.
He represents having defeated several attempts to assassinate him, because his courage and loyalty made him a target of enemy intelligence services and the mercenaries they trained and financed from a very early age.
Raúl is Cuba, and Cuba is untouchable! (Applause.) It will not be touched as long as there is one worthy Cuban man or woman alive to shield the enemy where they intend to aim their bullets.
Raúl is also Our America and the Global South. This is confirmed by his stature as a statesman who set momentous precedents in international relations, one of them, without a doubt, being his effective contribution to international peace, as the architect of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, which today suffers the outrage of the interventionist and warmongering policies of the current US administration, a restorer of the Monroe Doctrine and of the contemptuous view of our lands as the empire’s backyard.
Raúl was the active and effective mediator of the peace talks in Colombia, which allowed for the signing of the agreement between the FARC and the Colombian government, and also the facilitator of that unprecedented and conciliatory meeting between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church after several centuries of discord.
His conviction that civilized coexistence amidst differences is possible led him to patiently, wisely, and discreetly guide the beginning of a path toward the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States, a path cut short in 2017 with implausible pretexts fabricated by anti-Cuban segments that have always opposed any understanding between our two nations and that today are pressing for a military confrontation, which would be dramatically costly for both peoples.
To the audacious guerrilla fighter, the revolutionary leader, the intelligent statesman, we must add his undeniable qualities as a sensitive and just human being; proven in every facet of life as a devoted son, loyal brother, and loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, and leader, while remaining demanding (Applause). A true Cuban through and through!, as I wrote in my congratulatory message.
Raúl turns 95, accompanying and guiding us with his proverbial wisdom, a blessing that all revolutionaries celebrate and appreciate every day.
On his behalf, at his request, I want to convey to our compatriots his infinite gratitude for the countless and moving expressions of solidarity, affection, and respect he has received these past few days as a popular response to imperialist infamies and on his birthday. He extends this gratitude to all the friends around the world who have publicly expressed their affection during times of threats and reprisals against any gesture of commitment to Cuba.
No hatred, no lie can ever prevail against his moral strength and the high symbolic value of the revolutionary work he has led with exemplary firmness. (Applause)
Dear combatants of the Ministry of the Interior:
It is also a great pleasure to be able to greet you and address you with these words on your 65th Anniversary, amidst the challenging context we are experiencing, under the harassment of enemies without ethics or principles.
Our first recognition goes to Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez (Prolonged applause), founding member and leader, a paradigm of this institution, with a legacy that has endured through time.
It would be endless and impossible to recount all the tasks carried out by this important defense body over these years. In these more than six decades, they have written, and continue to write, glorious chapters, some of them from the most absolute and humble anonymity.
The Ministry, as we popularly call it, has had, along with the Revolutionary Armed Forces, the mission of confronting the darkest plans of Yankee imperialism throughout the more than six decades of the Cuban Revolution’s existence.
The enemy has employed every possible tactic against Cuba: the infiltration and formation of armed groups in the mountains, sabotage, terrorism, bacteriological warfare, assassination attempts, economic and ideological subversion, psychological and media warfare—all directed and financed by powerful U.S. intelligence agencies.
Despite the relentless schemes of all kinds, the financial and technical resources at their disposal, and the unscrupulous actions in their dirty and undeclared war against Cuba, they have been unable to annihilate the Revolution because, among other reasons, we have had you as tireless sentinels of the homeland (Applause). Faced with each challenge, you have reinvented yourselves and given clear lessons that no adversary, however powerful, is invincible. You are the best expression of what it means to resist and creatively overcome the onslaught of the empire.
From the founding generations to the newest, they have distinguished themselves by loyalty, steadfastness, and courage, never wavering for a moment in the face of the harshest circumstances or the most treacherous plans.
This was demonstrated by the 32 heroes who fell in Venezuela on January 3rd. They were undeterred by the element of surprise, nor by the disproportionate forces and weapons with which the enemy outnumbered them; they went out to fight, and they did so with ferocity and determination! (Applause.) They offered a brave and unwavering resistance, a source of admiration even for the invaders, who could not help but acknowledge it.
Our 32 brothers who fell in Venezuela left clear evidence of the mettle of which you are made, admirable combatants of the Ministry of the Interior and your brothers of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, but above all, they sent a clear message of how millions of Cubans would act in defense of the homeland, should it ever be attacked. (Applause.)
If anyone still had any doubts about their stature, five more members of the Border Guard Troops would soon reaffirm their courage when, without any time for surprise, they neutralized the attempt by a terrorist infiltration team that, with a considerable cache of weapons of war, intended to establish themselves on national territory.
Five defeated ten! And, to add to their honor, the Commander of our vessel, seriously wounded, never abandoned his mission: the defense of the homeland! (Applause.)
To all of you, the Cuban people’s profound admiration and infinite gratitude for the noble and selfless work you have carried out for these 65 years, not only safeguarding the homeland, but also accompanying, protecting, and rescuing the people in the most difficult moments: during hurricanes, fires, and accidents. The images of you bravely and compassionately rescuing people amidst the floods caused by Hurricane Melissa, almost always at great risk to your own lives, are still fresh in our collective memory. Thank you so much, combatants! (Applause.)
Fellow citizens:
Our homeland is living through crucial times, threatened as never before by imperialism, which once again believes it can subdue us and destroy the Revolution. To this end, and before the eyes of the world, violating all norms of International Law, the United States government is committing an act of genocide that imposes terrible limitations on the daily lives of our people.
The perverse way in which the United States is carrying out a plan against Cuba aimed at provoking a humanitarian crisis throughout the nation can only be described as a crime against humanity. The grave effects are already being felt by children, the elderly, pregnant women, the disabled, and, in general, by all our people without exception.
The energy blockade they implemented on January 29th, through an Executive Order, is an act of extreme cruelty due to its humanitarian implications. The United States threatened coercive measures against anyone who supplies us with this resource.
In the first five months of the year, Cuba has received only one fuel shipment, out of the 40 it would have requested during that period. A single ship with 100,000 tons of fuel, which we were able to use during the second half of April, and which, despite not fully meeting our needs, was enough to demonstrate how much our reality would change without this abhorrent prohibition.
Not content with the total fuel embargo, on May 1st, following a resounding demonstration of popular support for the Revolution, they tightened the screws even further in an act of evident rage and frustration. That day, they announced a new Executive Order laden with threats, sanctions, confiscations, and fines for any company, bank, institution, or individual that trades with Cuba, invests in Cuba, or supplies Cuba with even the most basic food, medicine, and hygiene products.
The recent exodus of several companies from Cuba is a direct result of the U.S. government’s coercive measures. They have unleashed this global terror based on another blatant lie: the criminalization of a Cuban business system like GAE. Without presenting a single shred of evidence, they have fabricated a story of corruption and the enrichment of a select few, a narrative that only exists in their twisted minds.
The attack on GAE is not accidental; it is not just another media campaign. They target a system of companies because they know how effective it is in the face of the United States’ ongoing economic blockade against the Cuban people. The contributions of these companies to the country’s socio-economic development are remarkable.
This is the same tactic used to target Cuban medical collaboration, based on infamous falsehoods aimed at cutting off a vital source of funding for the free and universal public healthcare system, deepening the blockade to unsustainable levels, the costs of which are measured in human lives.
While this genocide against the Cuban people is underway, its perpetrators brazenly lie to the world, denying their crimes.
They lie with such audacity that they are not even capable of justifying or convincing their nation’s representatives in the federal Congress, where the deceitful, immoral, and corrupt nature of the ruling clique, implicated in the plundering of financial resources and assets from other nations and even their own taxpayers, has recently become evident. Lacking convincing explanations or answers to offer their legislators, they attempt to distract everyone’s attention with accusations against Cuba.
A torrent of hatred and lies is being heaped upon the Cuban leaders and their families. Slander and threats are being issued, following the tactics of the old Nazi school and the hybrid warfare manuals of the internet age: to confuse, distort reality, discredit, stigmatize, and disorient the people and world public opinion in order to justify their unjustifiable wars of plunder.
They make people believe their war is only against a few; they’ve done it so many times they’re fooling no one. From Haiti to Venezuela, including hundreds of interventionist adventures around the world—and let’s not forget Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya—during the last two centuries of the American empire, all we see is a prologue laden with lies and an epilogue of destruction and death.
With lies, they started a war against Iran, claiming it was about to develop nuclear weapons, without a shred of evidence, despite the fact that the relevant international organizations had ruled out that possibility.
And with more lies, they intend to construct a pretext for military aggression against Cuba, based on the ridiculous and pathetic narrative that this small archipelago, blockaded and impoverished by unilateral coercive measures, is a threat to the national security of the United States.
This is how the empire operates: it not only destroys, but also constructs the narrative to make the destruction seem deserved or inevitable. To that end, they disseminate inaccurate images of Chinese or Russian bases that do not exist in Cuba. This confirms the desperate fabrication of plans to attack us.
The greatest cruelty of the blockade is its prolonged duration. And the greatest offense to Cuba, which suffers it, and to the world that rejects it, is the cynical attempt to impose a reverse narrative: that of the failed state as the culprit.
The purpose of destabilizing the country through economic strangulation is as perverse as its accompanying false narrative, which inverts the cause of the problems to obscure the true culprits.
We do not close our eyes to our own shortcomings, but a state that is denied or hindered from importing food, medicine, fuel, and spare parts, by having its international finances blocked and being prevented from accessing credit or trading freely, and by being threatened by third parties, can never function normally.
These obstacles and difficulties translate into long and unbearable blackouts, shortages of medicine, food, and other supplies, low production levels, a profound crisis in passenger transportation within and outside the country, a drop in tourism, high migration, and the imperial chorus with its local spokespeople blaming the supposed “failed state” and, by extension, socialism for everything that goes wrong or doesn’t work at all. What a hypocritical position!
What the empire calls a failed state is, in reality, a state under attack and refusing to surrender! (Applause.)
The increasingly undeniable reality is that the United States government is making every effort to lead the country toward a scenario of crisis, of collapse, through economic imbalances, material shortages, and deprivation of the people’s most basic needs in their daily lives.
It is a collective punishment intended to subdue and bring to its knees an entire nation that, despite the difficult times it is experiencing, will not renounce its independence nor yield to the attempts to turn Cuba into a state under their tutelage.
That is the uncomfortable truth: Cuba does not surrender! Cuba persists and resists! And that persistence is intolerable to the empire! (Applause.)
Cuba wants peace. Cuba does not provoke, attack, or defy. We continue to strive for a climate of understanding with the United States based on mutual respect, despite our differences, as has been shown to be possible.
However, if the homeland is attacked, we will respond in legitimate self-defense! (Applause.) And if they attempt to enter, let there be no doubt: There will be a decisive and resolute fight! (Applause.)
Dear compatriots:
These days mark the 65th anniversary of a CIA-backed operation that aimed to assassinate Raúl Castro in Santiago de Cuba and, simultaneously, stage an attack on the Guantánamo Naval Base, supported by their internal counterrevolutionary groups, to justify a military aggression against Cuba.
The dismantling of that operation, dubbed “Patty” by the CIA, would become one of the first major victories of the newly created Ministry of the Interior, which, just days after its founding, implemented an effective counter-plan known as “Candela.” Its success allowed them to preserve Raúl Castro’s life and publicly expose the sinister intentions.
Today, as these old methods are being revived against the Revolution and its leader, our response will be no different, and our confidence in victory will be no less! (Applause.)
We remain guided by the firm conviction:
¡Patria o Muerte! Homeland or Death!
¡Venceremos! We will overcome!
Long live Fidel and Raúl!
Long live the Ministry of the Interior on its sixty-fifth anniversary!
Long live socialism!
And long live a free Cuba!
