The First Secretary of the Party's Central Committee and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, described the visit of Police General Vladimir Alexandrovich Kolokoltsev, Minister of the Interior of Russia, and the delegation accompanying him as "of enormous significance" due to "the moment in which it is taking place."
"Thank you very much for being in Cuba," the president said to Kolokoltsev as he greeted him in the meeting room of the Palace of the Revolution, where both delegations held talks, while the senior military officer of the Russian Federation expressed his satisfaction at being back on the island, where he has close friends.
This visit, Díaz-Canel added, is yet another expression of the sensitivity of the Russian Federation, the Party, the Government, the armed forces, and you personally. There is sensitivity, understanding of our situation, and a willingness to help and cooperate.
The Head of State underscored the importance of the visit by the Russian Minister of the Interior and his colleagues to discuss the complex global situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in particular in Cuba.
He recalled that during General Vladimir Alexandrovich Kolokoltsev's previous visit in November 2023, our country was facing the intensification of the blockade, a widespread media smear campaign, and the impact of its inclusion on the spurious list of countries allegedly sponsoring terrorism. All of this, he noted, remains in place, but with greater complexity, in addition to the impact of the events of January 3 in Venezuela.
Also participating in the meeting were Political Bureau member, Army Corps General Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, Minister of the Interior, and Central Committee member and Deputy Minister of the Interior, Brigadier General Jesús Manuel Burón Tabit, among other officials from the Ministry of the Interior.
On the Russian side, Victor Koronelli, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Cuba, and Major General of Internal Services Alexandr A. Nikolaev, Chief of the Minister's Secretariat, among other senior officials of the institution, attended.
TRIBUTE TO THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THE DIGNITY OF THE PEOPLES
"In these difficult times, your presence in Cuba symbolizes the indestructible union between sister nations that do not surrender or submit, but honor their history with deeds and sacrifices. Today, together with you, we pay tribute to those who fell in the line of duty, those who gave their lives for the peace and dignity of the people."
This was expressed by the head of the Political Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior, Brigadier General Oscar Callejas Valcarce, to Vladimir Alexandrovich Kolokoltsev, Minister of the Interior of the Russian Federation, who, as part of his visit to the island, came to the Colón Necropolis to pay tribute to the 32 Cubans who fell in defense of Venezuelan sovereignty during the imperialist aggression against that nation.
In his speech, Callejas Valcarce conveyed "our satisfaction with the recent words of Russian President Vladimir Putin, spoken when he received the credentials of the Cuban ambassador to Moscow, in which he emphasized the enduring ties of friendship and cooperation between our countries.
"In front of the pantheon where the ashes of heroes who fell in Venezuela rest, we declare that we will remain loyal to our history, sovereign, and that we will never betray our principles," he emphasized.
As part of the tribute, a floral offering was placed on behalf of the Russian Federation to the Cuban martyrs who fell on January 3 in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
During the day, Alexandrovich Kolokoltsev also paid tribute at the Mausoleum to the Soviet Internationalist Soldier, which houses the remains of a group of combatants from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics who fell while carrying out an internationalist mission in Cuba.
