Cuba and Russia look with firmness and determination to the future
- Written by Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez
- Published in Cuba
- Hits: 783
(Shorthand Versions - Presidency of the Republic)
Dear sister and friend most excellent Mrs. Valentina Matvienko, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council;
Dear friend Alexei Shaposhnikov, Speaker of the Moscow Duma;
Dear friends:
About the Russian people we can say today what Fidel Castro said referring to the Cuban people on May Day 2003: "Never has a people had such sacred things to defend, nor such deep convictions to fight for, so much so that it prefers to disappear from the face of the earth rather than renounce the noble and generous work for which many generations of Cubans have paid the high cost of many lives of their best children."
Long live the close friendship between Russia and Cuba, and long live the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism that we are celebrating here today!
I believe that I reflect the feelings of all my compatriots if I tell you that we are very pleased to be in Russia on the eve of a transcendental date, not only for this great nation, but for all mankind: the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism in the Great Patriotic War.
This satisfaction grows with the particularity of this day, the 65th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between our countries.
Celebrating the event in Moscow, in this special context, is a gesture that we are grateful to our hosts, in the midst of the preparations for the transcendental commemoration of May 9, with numerous foreign guests.
It is always exciting to be in Russia, but to share these days of celebration of the victory over fascism with the people who gave 27 million lives in the Great Patriotic War is a tremendous honor. An elegy to the heroism that saved humanity from the Nazi holocaust 80 years ago and today inspires those who fight against the signs of re-emergence and resurgence of Nazism in the world.
Six and a half decades of uninterrupted relations between Cuba and Russia confirm that geographical distance is not an obstacle when deep feelings of friendship are created based on respect, admiration and also on a common history.
There are testimonies about Russian mambí fighters under the orders of General Antonio Maceo, and we know of three young Cubans: Enrique Vilar and the brothers Jorge and Aldo Vivó, who enlisted in the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. Aldo and Enrique fell heroically in combat, and Jorge survived the terrible struggle. They deserved high recognitions from the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Council of State of Cuba.
That brotherhood sealed with blood by the heroes of both peoples has solid expressions in culture and other fields.
Our National Hero, José Martí, wrote extensive essays on the work of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin and the painter Vasily Vereshchágin, whom he deeply admired for the high artistic values and the desire for freedom expressed in their creations.
There were multiple exchanges in art and sports during the first half of the 20th century; important Russian artists visited Cuba, such as the renowned ballerina Anna Pavlova in 1915, and the rivalry between chess masters Alexánder Aliójin and José Raúl Capablanca in 1927 was historic, as they disputed the title of World Champion.
Official contacts between the two countries date back to 1902, as we can see in the exhibition. Then there were several interruptions due to the political subordination of the Cuban governments of the time to the United States.
A little more than a year after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, the decision was made to reestablish relations between our nations, initiating on May 8, 1960, a new stage of ties between two independent and sovereign countries.
Since then, an intense collaboration began in various areas: agriculture, energy, construction, military and technical fields, but also in sports, education, science, culture and art. The assistance of the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in those early years was vital not only for the survival of the Revolution, but also for the development of our country.
As expressed by the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro Ruz in the speech he delivered at the Red Square on April 28, 1963: "Without the existence of the Soviet Union, the Socialist Revolution of Cuba would not have been possible! It is logical that we feel a deep and eternal gratitude towards the Soviet people", referring not only to the historical legacy that the Great Socialist Revolution of 1917 represented for Cuba, but also to all the material aid and cooperation received in those difficult years when the United States took the first measures, which would later become the illegal and cruel economic, commercial and financial blockade against our country, now intensified.
Dear friends:
There are no impediments to the closeness between our peoples and nations, united by sympathy, friendship, mutual respect and a common sentiment in defense of just causes.
This led to milestones in the bilateral relationship, such as the first joint Soviet-Cuban space flight between the first Cuban and Latin American cosmonaut, Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez, and Yuri Romanenko, an event that will reach its 45th anniversary in September of this year; but also the contribution of both countries to such transcendental events in the history of the 20th century, such as the defeat of the opprobrious apartheid regime in Africa.
I am part of a generation that grew up listening to epic legends of this Russian people, that knows the most popular Russian animated films, that learned Russian on the radio or in the high school year taken by thousands of young Cubans who studied in higher education centers of the USSR in the most diverse specialties, to later contribute significantly to the development, mainly industrial, of our country. All of us who lived through those experiences retain, more than nostalgia, a deep feeling of closeness to Russia, to you.
In the 90s of the last century, very difficult years came for Cuba. Those were not easy times for Russia either. Relations cooled down, but the flame of friendship was never extinguished, which has allowed us to continue and strengthen the bond that brings us together here today.
The subsequent visits of President Vladimir Putin to Havana and of Army General Raul Castro Ruz to the Russian Federation allowed us to continue and renew these ties between two sister nations.
The signing on November 2, 2018, during my visit to the Kremlin, of a joint statement on common approaches to international affairs reaffirmed not only the strategic nature of relations, but the status of allies.
Cuba and Russia share common approaches on the main issues of the international agenda. We are united by essential values in defense of multilateralism, International Law and the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter, in the face of attempts to impose an international order based on Western rules, imperialist and hegemonic policies, and the imposition of cruel sanctions and unilateral coercive measures.
Cuba has expressed concern about the increasingly offensive military doctrine of the United States and NATO outside its borders, the aggressive rhetoric and unilateral sanctions against Russia, which have contributed to exacerbating regional and international confrontation and tensions and prolonging the conflict in Europe.
We promote dialogue and cooperation for protection of human rights, as opposed to their manipulation for political purposes and their use as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs of States.
Dear friends:
We see with satisfaction how in these years important areas of collaboration between our countries have been resumed. Russia is consolidating its participation in strategic projects of our National Economic and Social Development Plan until the year 2030, and ties have been strengthened in sectors that are fundamental to our economy, such as: energy, transportation, the railway industry, agriculture, communications, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry, among others.
Educational, artistic and cultural exchanges have been enhanced. The Cuban people know and love Russian art, literature and cinema. The Russian Film Festival and the presentations of artistic groups from St. Petersburg recently in Havana and Santiago de Cuba are proof of this.
In Russia and its people we feel affection for Cuba, which also enjoys great popularity as a tourist destination because of the warmth with which we receive visitors from this sister country on the Island, offering them the best of our rich traditions, history and culture.
Our people attach great value to the permanent support of Russia in the struggle for the lifting of the criminal and unjust blockade and for the exclusion of Cuba from the spurious list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism.
We also thank the Russian Government for its support for Cuba's accession to the BRICS as a Partner Country, and to the Eurasian Economic Union as an Observer State.
We reiterate our commitment to advance in these integration initiatives on the basis of the historical relations and ties that unite us with its member states.
Colleagues, comrades, friends:
Our friendship has stood the test of time and the most complex and diverse international circumstances. History has taught us that, in the midst of the challenges we face, cooperation and solidarity are fundamental bulwarks of our relationship.
Today Cuba and Russia look with firmness and determination towards the future. History and its coincidences allow us to celebrate the 65th anniversary of our relations one day before the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the historic victory over fascism, the colossal feat of the Russian and other Soviet people, which can never be denied.
As Raúl said: "the great victories of the Red Army are imperishable". It will be a great honor for all of us to share this historic moment in the coming days in Red Square with President Vladimir Putin, his government and the brotherly Russian people.
Let us continue to work for the well-being and prosperity of two brotherly and heroic peoples: the Russian and the Cuban.
If in other times we faced victoriously the greatest challenges of both nations, today we lack neither challenges nor motivations to resume together the path of freedom in defense of peace, human development and the future of our peoples.
Long live the friendship between Russia and Cuba! (Exclamations of: "Long live!")
Long live the victory in the Great Patriotic War! (Exclamations of: "Viva!")
Hasta la Victoria, Siempre!
Thank you very much.
(Applause.)