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 24th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP), in Caracas, Venezuela, on December 14, 2024, “Year 66 of the Revolution”
Author: Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez
Comrade Nicolás Maduro Moros, brother and President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Dear Nicolás, it is always pleasant and exciting to be in your beloved Caracas, and in the land of Chávez, eternal Commander in the heart of the Latin American peoples.
And it is doubly pleasing and exciting to be in these sacred places, together with our friends-brothers of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, celebrating a transcendent moment in our common history.
Dear Presidents and brothers Commander Daniel Ortega Saavedra and Luis Arce Catacora;
Dear Prime Ministers Ralph Gonsalves, Roosevelt Skerrit and Gaston Browne;
Dear representative of the Republic of Honduras, to whose President Xiomara Castro I send a fraternal embrace (Applause);
Friend Malki and representatives of the Palestinian State, to whom I reiterate the strongest solidarity of the Cuban people and Government; that solidarity that we offer every day to the hundreds of Palestinian students who are in Cuba (Applause).
Comrade Jorge Arreaza, Executive Secretary of ALBA-TCP;
Heads of delegations and representatives of the nations that make up the Alliance;
Guests;
Members of social movements;
Participants:
Twenty years have passed since the memorable evening of December 14, 2004, in Havana, when Fidel and Chávez sealed with an embrace the birth of ALBA, an emancipating process that time has been transforming into an embrace of our peoples.
Five years later, ALBA-TCP would escalate in its international projection with the incorporation, first, of Bolivia and Nicaragua; and then of Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the first three countries of the English-speaking Caribbean to honor us with their participation.
With the subsequent incorporations of St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and St. Lucia, the Alliance strengthened its voice and regional scope to become what it is today: a space of fraternity, solidarity, cooperation, respect, unity, struggle for the interests of the dispossessed; voice of the voiceless; articulate defense of brothers in history against dependence and subordination to imperialism and regional oligarchies.
Today we come together again at the ALBA-TCP summit, a milestone in the battle for the unity of Our America and in defense of social justice, for a better world that we all long for.
Not once have we missed the appointment, as we will never miss the cause of American integration, which has so many dreams and projects pending, and this meeting, as the previous ones, never ceases to move us; dreams and projects that Fidel and Chavez promoted and materialized like no one else since the times of Bolivar, to respond to the aspirations of millions of people. And that it is up to those of us who follow in their footsteps to promote and materialize with the same will, now, when times are no less challenging for our nations.
The road has not been easy. The strong will of each one of us to see ALBA-TCP move forward was what allowed the Alliance to consolidate into an inclusive integration process, distinguished by the coordination of actions to confront common dangers, by always placing the well-being, development and prosperity of the peoples at the center of decisions.
Dear Heads of State and Government, friends:
Threats to the security and stability of several of our countries have given rise to numerous Alliance meetings this year to exchange on the very complex international and regional scenario we face.
As Army General Raúl Castro Ruz warned at the 15th ALBA-TCP Summit: “...we are at a crucial stage in our history, in which a setback on a regional scale would have very negative impacts for our peoples.”
Today the system of international relations suffers the imbalances of an unjust, unequal and exclusive order. We are witnessing the promotion of discourses of hatred and violence, of open encouragement to extremism, and the return to old, but not overcome, mechanisms of imperialist domination. In addition to the attempted coups d'état and the persecution of leftist and progressive political figures, there is today a ferocious communications machine aimed at sowing terror and lies.
The Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny are not old theories of the 19th century. Their expansionist and hegemonic concepts are more valid than ever in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Imperialism and the oligarchies have never renounced the perverse objective of dividing the peoples, sowing enmity among the governments of the region, to limit the scope of public policies of a social nature, to appropriate the valuable natural resources of this fabulous geography and to undermine the progress of Latin American and Caribbean integration that would deepen independence.
They ignore international law and the most elementary rules of coexistence with absolute contempt for developing nations, through unilateralism and blackmail.
A profound reform of the current international order is therefore necessary, so that solidarity and cooperation may finally prevail over differences.
It is imperative to recover multilateralism in order to advance towards a new order in which the countries of the South participate on an equal footing in global decision-making.
Cease the philosophy of dispossession and the philosophy of war will cease, as Fidel said in one of his historic speeches at the United Nations. Colonialism, neocolonialism, growing fascism and any other manifestation that threatens international peace and security stem from this desire for possession and control, from the permanent attempt to dispossess others of their lands, their property and even their lives.
The need for a new international financial architecture that closes the abysmal gap that today separates North and South and provides fair treatment to developing countries in the decision-making process and in access to sources of financing is increasingly evident.
There is an urgent need, as never before, for full respect for the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular the sovereign equality of States, the self-determination of peoples, the peaceful settlement of disputes and the rejection of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.
It requires the invariable will and effort of all for unity, integration and peace. In this regard, we reaffirm the absolute relevance of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, in which we affirm our commitment to banish forever from the region the use and threat of the use of force.
The dramatic and precipitous events in Syria, which led to a change of power in that Arab nation, are part of a dangerous and risky reshaping of the Middle East region to serve the interests of the United States, Israel and the West.
We strongly call for the preservation of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Syria and the unity of its people.
Dear Heads of State and Government, friends:
The growing trend toward the application of unilateral coercive measures against countries that do not submit to the imperial hegemon is extremely alarming, causing direct, intentional and politically motivated damage to the sovereignty and independence of the States against which they are directed. They violate the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and hinder the efforts of nations to promote the full enjoyment of human rights.
Once again, we demand the complete, immediate and unconditional elimination of all unilateral coercive measures (Applause), which is a historic demand of the international community embodied in resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, as well as in numerous declarations of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of 77 and China, and the Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter.
For 62 years, the United States Government has imposed on Cuba the most severe and prolonged system of unilateral coercive measures ever applied against any nation.
It is a deliberate act of economic warfare by a powerful empire against a small developing nation. It constitutes a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of all Cubans, and summons the almost unanimous repudiation of the international community.
Since 2019, the blockade against Cuba has escalated to an extreme dimension, much more cruel and inhuman, which is not only expressed in very high costs in material and financial resources, but also burdens to unsustainable limits the daily life of our nation.
The prolongation of this policy over time has an incalculable psychological cost, which has a brutal impact on the Cuban family, fracturing, dividing and torturing it. And while they carry out this policy, its designers and executors cynically accuse the Cuban government of harming the people with the shortages caused by the U.S. government.
Its effects have been further reinforced with the arbitrary inclusion of Cuba in the State Department's unilateral list of alleged countries sponsoring terrorism. This is a designation without any basis, authority or international backing whatsoever, in an attempt to justify and tighten the siege against the Cuban Revolution.
It is not enough to acknowledge that Cuba cooperates fully with the United States in the fight against terrorism, as the State Department recently admitted. The international community widely recognizes that Cuba is not a terrorist country. Cuba must be removed without further delay from that spurious unilateral listing, a fallacy that has a stifling impact on the economy (Applause).
We thank all the fraternal peoples and governments represented here for their permanent support for the demand to put an end to the blockade against Cuba and to exclude us from the aforementioned unilateral list.
We also convey our deep gratitude for the expressions of solidarity towards the Cuban people after the impact of the recent natural phenomena that have hit the island.
The scenario we are facing in the relations with the United States has not been a surprise for Cuba, it was very likely and we had been preparing for it. But the principled policy of the Cuban Revolution remains unchanged.
We ratify our disposition to serious and responsible dialogue, to advance towards a constructive and civilized relationship, based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, and reciprocal benefit for both peoples, regardless of the profound political differences between governments.
Cuba reaffirms its determination to defend its sovereign right to build a future of its own, independent, socialist, free from foreign interference and committed to peace, sustainable development, social justice and solidarity.
Dear sisters and brothers:
We ratify the commitment to the defense of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, which ten years after its approval at the 2nd CELAC Summit in Havana, in January 2014, remains in full force and effect.
We reiterate our solidarity with the countries gathered here that have been the target of destabilization attempts and external interference. In particular, we reiterate the strongest support for the Bolivarian and Chavista Revolution led with acuity by President Nicolas Maduro Moros (Applause), who maintains the determination to defend his people from unacceptable external pressures.
Questioning the institutionality and laws of another country does not contribute to regional stability, it is up to the people of Bolivar and Chavez to define their future (Applause).
We reiterate our full support to Commander President Daniel Ortega Saavedra and his people (Applause). The destabilizing actions against the Government of Reconciliation and National Unity of Nicaragua must cease!
To the Plurinational State of Bolivia we express our support and solidarity in the defense of its sovereignty over its natural resources and in the face of destabilizing attempts (Applause).
We welcome the holding of the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States in our sister and dear Antigua and Barbuda. We recognize the results achieved and the adoption of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States, aimed at expanding cooperation, supporting debt sustainability and the means of implementation towards these countries.
The Caribbean has and will always have a sister in Cuba, which accompanies them in their right to receive fair, special and differentiated treatment, essential to face the growing challenges arising from the prevailing unjust international financial system and climate change, as well as in their legitimate claim for reparations and compensation for the horrors of slavery and colonialism.
We call for a free Puerto Rico (Applause), and we maintain our solidarity with Haiti, and the Cuban doctors are there (Applause).
Distinguished comrades:
The crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and apartheid committed by Israel and which have been taking shape for 75 years against the Palestinian people are now assuming extreme proportions and must cease.
We reiterate our strong demand for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories (Applause).
Cuba also condemns the attacks perpetrated by Israel against friendly nations such as Lebanon, Syria and Iran.
The impunity with which the Government of Israel continues to act is only possible because of the complicit political, military, logistical and financial support provided to the occupying power by the Government of the United States, which acts cynically and perversely presenting itself to the world as a mediator in the conflict, while preventing possible actions by the Security Council.
Cuba demands a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, on the basis of the creation of two States, allowing the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and to have an independent and sovereign State within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the return of its refugees.
Dear friends:
I would like to convey an appreciation to the Executive Secretariat, which has driven in this year that is ending more than 70 communiqués and numerous actions to advance the ambitious, but necessary, Strategic Agenda 2030.
This has been a very challenging year for ALBA-TCP and for Cuba (Applause), but one in which we have always felt accompanied by your solidarity.
In the next few days, the Cuban Revolution will turn 66 years old, and it will do so with the invariable willingness to face and overcome the greatest challenges that we learned in the school of Fidel, Raúl and the heroic José Martí Centennial Generation that preceded us (Applause). In these 66 years, the Cuban people have more than proved that their Mambi spirit has not waned, that, as General Antonio Maceo said, “...whoever tries to appropriate Cuba will gather the dust of its soil soaked in blood, if he does not perish in the struggle.”
Cuba will not be defeated, just as ALBA-TCP will not be defeated.
Let us make of our collective effort and work a stronger and more united ALBA! (Applause.)
May ALBA-TCP continue to advance in the constant search for and realization of projects for the economic development and dignity of Our America. We owe that to Simón Bolívar and José Marti, to the founding fathers of the independence of Latin America and the Caribbean. We owe it to Antonio José de Sucre, who led the victory of the Battle of Ayacucho 200 years ago (Applause). And we owe it especially to Fidel, to Chávez and to our peoples (Applause).
For these twenty years of solidarity and friendship, Long Live ALBA -TCP!
Always onward to Victory!
(Exclamations of: “We shall overcome!”)
(Ovation.)
