Through the first half of June, Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus and Cienfuegos had been able to control new COVID-19 infections in their territories. But the three provinces are now experiencing a dangerous increase in new cases, and yesterday, July 7, was no exception: reporting, 151, 218 and 192, respectively.

For this reason, Communist Party Central Committee First Secretary and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez; Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, and the ministers of Domestic Commerce, Finance & Prices, and Transportation, traveled to these central provinces to analyze the response to this emergency with local authorities, which cannot be the same as that of previous months, since the level and intensity of transmission have changed, for the worse.

During the three discussions, President Díaz-Canel returned time and again to the basic challenges, insisting on the importance of epidemiological research to determine what has happened in each of the three provinces, leading to this deterioration. We must identify the causes, he said, work with the numbers, find out exactly where outbreaks occurred, determine which strains are circulating, because otherwise we will be working blindly and ineffectively.

(Taken from Granma)

Cuba’s goal is to reach 4.5 million visitors this year, a figure that can be achieved with no problem if directives and work projections, discussed February 28 during the leisure industry’s annual review, are implemented.

Although the year will surely be difficult and challenging, given the current context, noted President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, speaking at the Ministry of Tourism (Mintur) meeting, “We cannot stop or give up, we must continue moving forward with the conviction that no one, much less Yankee arrogance, is going to detain us.”

The annual review was also attended by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero; Mercedes López Acea, member of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee’s Political Bureau and Secretariat; and Tourism Minister Juan Carlos García Granda, among other authorities.

In revisiting the industry’s performance in 2019, Díaz-Canel noted the impact of U.S. government sanctions and measures meant to damage our economy, which led to a decrease of 9.26% in the number of visitors, as compared to the previous year, with a total of 4,275,561 international tourists arriving.

Although projections were not met, the President stated, to have reached such a figure, in such a complicated context, must be considered an achievement. We cannot, however, lose sight of certain goals, including work to improve the quality of services, develop better options, while maintaining a friendly, professional environment, key to providing a pleasant stay for visitors, he said.

Given this reality, Díaz-Canel continued, we must implement new marketing strategies, promote innovative thinking with much creativity and attention to detail, and present genuine Cuban culture.

This opinion was shared by Manuel Marrero, who highlighted the development of a plan with 56 measures to increase the arrival of visitors to the country, of which 71% are already being implemented.

He likewise addressed the need to develop more powerful commercial work, find new market niches and recover lost ones, while taking better advantage of opportunities for domestic tourism, promoting Cuban participation in tourist activities with attractive offers and services.

A day lost in computerization is a day given away to the enemy, Marrero insisted, pointing out that the use of social media in commercial and promotional work is insufficient.

“We need a greater presence on digital platforms, to position our offers. We need to continue developing e-commerce. Although progress has been made, the goal is to provide customers access to hotel prices, updated promotions, make reservations and even pay online.”

He insisted on the extension of connectivity in hotels and continued efforts to automate systems and services in the industry.

Another priority, he noted, is to raise the quality of our tourism. “For this we must create new products, consider the age of facilities and renovate them as needed, promote our gastronomy as a reference that also sells the image of Cuba, and develop more extra-hotel activities with nightlife options, cabarets and discos.”

Internal accounting is another recurrent issue to be addressed, he stated, insisting on working with greater rigor, leaving no room for corruption.

Given the importance of reducing imports within the sector, consolidating relations and productive links with national industry was a key point on the meeting’s agenda.

This is an area in which we have made progress, but not enough. We must restructure our work and gather data that allows us to see how much tourism can save by purchasing supplies from Cuban companies, that we now buy on the international market, he said.

Toward that end, the Prime Minister recalled, formulas have been sought to stimulate the participation of national industry in tourism, including credit available from Finatur – a non-banking financial institution, affiliated with the Central Bank of Cuba – which provides financing to domestic companies to develop productive chains with tourism.

Another incentive is payment in freely convertible currency to companies supplying products that replace imports, for up to 50% of the amount owed, an option that both tourist entities and domestic producers should take advantage of, without, of course, compromising quality, he said.

Ties with universities and technical schools, with a pool of resources that can support the sector, continue to be vital, as well as working with non-state economic actors, to provide construction and repair services in our facilities, as well as lodging, dining and other services, the Prime Minister stated.

Strengthening the work of cadres, rejuvenating our minds and ways of doing things, meeting the demands of the times the country is facing, were also emphasized during the meeting. We cannot be discouraged or disheartened. In spite of the enemy’s efforts to disrupt the industry in Cuba, tourism, as a strategic sector for economic development, continues and will continue to contribute to the country, he insisted.

OF INTERNAL DEFICIENCIES AND OTHER ILLS

According to the report presented by Minister of Tourism Juan Carlos Garcia Granda, the external aspects that affected the sector were compounded by our own inadequacies, all the untapped potential, and lack of more effective public communication, especially directly with retail travel agencies and in sales of optional activities.

We must continue working on raising the quality of our tourist products, he said. “We are aware that this issue must be addressed comprehensively as required, and with actions on the part of staff and workers, to ensure good service to the customers who visit us.”

The lack of internet connectivity via wifi has been a frequent complaint raised by tourists, he noted. To address this issue, a series of measures were adopted, and now 44% of hotels have full coverage, and 62% of four and five stars facilities have wifi throughout their properties, including the beach.

Also in need of attention is the use of e-commerce as a marketing tool, via Cuba’s own websites, since the tendency has been to rely on virtual travel agencies like Expedia and Booking.com.

“In this arena, the ministerial strategy is to use the official tourism portal CubaTravel, one of 22 projects prioritized in the national Plan for the Computerization of Cuban Society,” García stated.

He noted that the industry continues to advance, with the construction of two joint-venture hotels on Trinidad’s Ancon Peninsula, investment projects that are moving forward satisfactorily.

“Despite of these accomplishments, deficiencies persist, on which work must continue, including development, approval, dissolution or liquidation of businesses with foreign capital. Along with the impact of the activation of the Helms-Burton Act’s Title III, these deficiencies made the realization of prioritized projects impossible,” Gracía said.

According to the Minister of Tourism, although 2020 began with significant tension, the year’s plan was designed based on the sector’s potential, not on last year’s deficiencies.

Difficulties associated with marketing, quality, investment, economic and financial issues, internal accounting, management, computerization and productive chains must become work objectives this year, with a focus on strategies that lead to their resolution, since only this way can proposed objectives be met, he said.

(Source:Granma)

Although only names or pseudonyms are written, no professions or ages, it is very comforting to note that, in addition to numerous well-known followers of Martí, the majority are educators and young people interested in making their feelings about Martí public.

Ela, an early childhood teacher, has written that she was very moved when she talked about Martí with children in the fifth year of life, and they immediately, spontaneously ran to embrace and kiss the bust, where they place flowers every morning.

Enrique, a young professional, proudly recounts that, as a child, he played the part of Martí in a parade in his hometown, Placetas, and that when he graduated from the University he carried the Cuban flag to the top of Turquino Peak to pay tribute to him.

As Yamaris Pedraza states, “Every Cuban has a Martí inside, we have all read and performed his works, his thoughts.”

And how are Martí’s thoughts illuminating us! I have friends with good memories who constantly quote him to prove that he talked about everything, that he touched on every subject, and that in his writings we can find answers to the most difficult questions. Our schools could organize contests to find statements by Martí that are useful to human growth. You would see what a source of ethical values would flood them.

I once heard Pedro Pablo Rodriguez, director of the critical edition of his Complete Works, say that the man who lived only 42 years, left a truly infinite legacy. So frequently and constantly do new things appear in relation to Martí that his work seems to never end.

This work, and that generated by its study in Cuba and around the world, is already on social media, where young people share it and understand, in the end, that there is a great deal of Martí to be learned within his prose and verse that fascinate them. They discover with emotion that he is not a man of the last century but of all centuries.

But is this Martí? Many ask, amazed at the extraordinary validity of his statements and the universality of the issues he addressed.

When the newest – be they children or youth – discover that the man of the Golden Age also wrote wonderful things for adults, about the world order and the dangers that still beset us, it becomes impossible for them to escape from the need to turn to him. If they find him and delve into his essence, nothing can separate them from the charms of his words. And they become invincible.

Nonetheless, as Marti himself said in the Cuban Revolutionary Party’s manifesto to Cuba: “The homeland is sacred, and those who love it disinterested, tirelessly, owe it the whole truth.”

I do not want to exaggerate, nor can I. Martí is not yet as we would like him to be, and as he needs to be, to enrich the souls of our children and our children’s children. We continue and will continue to need Martí, always. And it is our responsibility to teach him, wisely and lovingly, as only good parents and good teachers can.

A blow from the depths of hatred recently shook our consciences in relation to the pernicious routine that allows us to forget care of Marti’s busts. Not the physical works that have accompanied us since childhood, but their integrity, what they symbolize.

Subsequent events came along to show us what it means to be with Martí, on the side of those who love and found. Or against Martí, on the side of those who hate and destroy.

Today is February 24; 125 years have passed since the beginning of the most noble of wars. The one Martí organized and led, defining it as “a complete, humanitarian war, in which the people of Cuba, invincible and indivisible, are even more united.”

In the Montecristi Manifesto, Martí and Gomez invoked, “as a guide and support for our people,” Cuba’s “magnanimous founders, whose work renews the grateful country, and honor, which prevents Cubans from wounding, in word or deed, those who die for them.”

It was March 25, 1895, on the eve of the long journey that would bring them back to the homeland, where veteran patriots and a new generation were already fighting for independence, who only Martí could move and bring together with his enormous faith “in human improvement and the usefulness of virtue.” This faith sustains our legendary resistance. Let us all take care of it by going deeply into Martí.

(Presidencia.cu)

Moscow and Havana have a political-economic relationship described by top leaders as strategic, which has expanded in recent years, with strong Russian investments in several vital sectors of the Cuban economy.

Loans that Russia plans to grant Cuba to carry out joint projects could exceed one billion euros, the Russian ambassador in Havana, Andrei Guskov, stated.

During an interview, the diplomat explained that the new Russian line of credit is being granted to make several joint projects possible, including the modernization of Cuba’s railway infrastructure.

“An important part of the financing – almost 900 million euros – will be provided through commercial credit from Russian banks,” he said.

According to the Russian ambassador, the design work included within the framework of the agreement to modernize Cuba’s railway system began last January.

The Cuban government and the Russian railroad company, RZD, signed a contract last October for the restoration and modernization of Cuban infrastructure. This contract, valued at 1.88 billion euros, is the “largest ever signed with Cuba in the history of modern Russia.”

“This is a mega infrastructure project that has great importance for Cuba, not only economically but also socially,” Guskov stated.

The diplomat insisted that Russia will continue to support “by all means” this project, which foresees the design, repair and modernization of more than a thousand kilometers of railroads on the island with Russian equipment and materials.

He also said that the country is “willing to study possible proposals from [Cuban] partners to continue strengthening the defense capacity of the Republic of Cuba.”

The diplomat recalled that technical-military cooperation is “one of the most important areas of interaction between” the two nations. “The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba are largely equipped with Soviet and Russian-made weaponry and equipment, including anti-aircraft and coastal missile and artillery defense systems,” he recalled.

Likewise, the two countries are about to launch other projects including “the second phase of the modernization of the José Martí Steel Works, Antillana de Acero, the renovation of ten 100 MW generating units at Cuban thermalelectric plants, the reconstruction of Cuban textile industry facilities, further deliveries of locomotives by the Sinara transport company, and the development of assembly plants of the GAZ Group in Cuba,” he detailed.

Moscow and Havana are implementing a plan to modernize the Cuban energy system and thus reduce the country’s dependence on imported oil and gas, the Russian ambassador added, recalling the “Development of the fuel and energy sector and strengthening of energy security in the Republic of Cuba” agreement was signed during a meeting of the Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission for Economic-Commercial and Scientific-Technical Cooperation held last September in Moscow.

Currently, Russia is Cuba’s second largest trading partner in Europe, and the fifth worldwide.

Regarding relations between the two nations, which are experiencing their best moment in the last 20 years, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has highlighted their importance by describing them as strategic. He has especially emphasized Russia’s participation in plans for the island’s socio-economic development through 2030.

(Granma)

“The Provincial government must work in a close relationship with the people. It represents the state and has as its fundamental mission the economic and social development of the territory,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel told provincial governors and lieutenant governors in a meeting held Monday.

He urged the new authorities, sworn in February 8, to work with commitment and dedication, thinking of Cuba, thinking as a country, within a context of total hostility from the United States government

He detailed the responsibilities of governors and the lieutenant governors, and emphasized the importance of constant interaction with the population and with representatives of different sectors, including the artists, business leaders, scientists, educators, and the media. He emphasized consistent follow up on the solution of concerns and proposals expressed by the population, and the urgency with which authorities must address these issues, including much-discussed illegalities: “We enforce regulations with the self-employed, but not those selling products outside stores,” the President noted, adding that this problem must be attacked everywhere, along with illegal sales of medicine.

He focused on demographic dynamics, saying that infertile couples and mothers with two or more children with housing problems should be receive differentiated treatment. Referring to the Provincial Council, the President insisted that it be characterized by vitality and dynamism, to ensure that problems do not accumulate; that governors must conduct rigorous economic analyses in the regions. “This is also thinking about Cuba, thinking as a country, and this is what the Revolution needs.”

Also attending the meeting were Vice President of the Republic Salvador Valdés Mesa; Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz; and the President and Vice President of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Esteban Lazo Hernández and Ana María Mari Machado, respectively.

(Granma)

A national television report noted that Cuba participated in the first two studies, in 1997 and 2006, and now the fourth, conducted May 30-31, 2019, with tests administered to students in third and sixth grades, in 251 primary schools across the country.

During the research, which was carried out without incident and with the participation of national and international observers, the best results were achieved by sixth-grade students, on the Spanish language exam.

Also discussed during the meeting were proposals to introduce automation and robotics at different educational levels, taking into consideration experience gained at Enrique José Varona Higher Institute of Pedagogy; the universities of Pinar del Río, Oriente, and Las Villas; as well as José Antonio Echevarría Technological University of Havana. Meanwhile the children’s technological park Finca de los Monos is preparing its first courses to introduce the fascinating world of robotics to the country’s budding scientists. The eight-week classes are set to begin in April.

“Just imagine the changes this will bring to society, when youngsters start learning robotics, when people start looking for other types of solutions to common problems,” Díaz-Canel remarked.

During the meeting, with Deputy Prime Minister Roberto Morales Ojeda and Party Secretariat member Olga Lidia Tapia Iglesias participating, additionally reviewed was progress being made on the implementation of agreements reached during the Federation of University Students Congress, held last March. The organization’s president, José A. Fernández Castañeda, reported that, of the 158 plans adopted, 82 have been implemented, 20 are in process, and 46 are of an ongoing nature.

(Granma)

On hand for the occasion, were Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, President of the Republic of Cuba; Esteban Lazo Hernández, president of the National Assembly of People’s Power and the Council of State; Alpidio Alonso, minister of Culture, and Truong Thi Mai, member of the Political Bureau and the Secretariat of the Communist Party of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Central Committee, who is leading the Vietnamese delegation to the Fair, among other distinguished personalities.

Rodríguez reported that, despite difficult conditions created by the intensification of the brutal U.S. blockade, the celebration of literature was organized, with more than 300 intellectuals and figures of contemporary culture, exhibitors and distributors from more than 40 countries participating, and warmly greeted the delegation from Vietnam, a people to which we are united by six decades of close friendship, he noted.

More than 4,000 titles and four million copies are available at the Fair, an unmistakable sign, sent to the world, of the Cuban people’s resistance and our commitment to continue raising our cultural level, especially that of children and youth, he said.

An audiovisual was screened highlighting the contributions of the authors to whom the Fair is dedicated: the unforgettable Dr. Ana Cairo Ballester, with more than 20 books published and a life dedicated to knowledge, and Eugenio Hernández Espinosa, present at the event, and one of Cuba’s most outstanding playwrights, director of the country’s Caribbean Theatre Company and author of several classics.

Truong Thi Mai, also head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Mass Mobilization Department and president of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association, on behalf of her Party and people, thanked Cuba for the special invitation, adding that it was a great honor to be in the beautiful, hospitable Havana, and that, despite the geographical distance, “Rarely do two countries in the world have such a close relationship.”

Performances by the artistic delegation from Vietnam, troubadour Eduardo Sosa, pianist José María Vitier and soprano Bárbara Llanes, enlivened the evening, before the inauguration of Vietnamese Pavilion, with President Díaz-Canel and other personalities cutting the ribbon.

(Source: Granma)

The ceremony took place at Rafael María de Mendive Elementary School, inaugurated today 150 years after the country’s national hero, José Martí studied at the site.

Education Minister Ena Elsa Velázquez, Havana City Historian Eusebio Leal, Vietnam’s ambassador in Cuba, Nguyen Trung Thanh, and other guests attended the opening of the school that bears the name of Martí’s teacher.

The City Historian’s Office was recognized its work on the building’s renovation, originally the San Pablo College, preserving its colonial features and even some pieces of furniture from the 19th century used by Mendive.

(Prensa Latina)

Army General Raúl Castro began his closing speech of the Constituent Session of the National Assembly of People’s Power by recalling Cuba’s victory at Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs) following the U.S.-backed mercenary invasion. He noted the significance of the event and the preceding days, especially Fidel’s declaration of the socialist nature of the Cuban Revolution.

He also recognized the work carried out by the electoral and candidature commissions at all levels, as well as all the institutions that collaborated to ensure a smooth electoral process. He also congratulated those elected to head the National Assembly and as members of the Council of the State.

MIGUEL DÍAZ-CANEL

Regarding Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the new President of the Councils of State and Ministers of Cuba, highlighted his career as an engineer, and his work as an officer of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR). He was later put forward as a professional cadre of the Young Communist League (UJC), from where he gradually worked his way up through the PCC ranks to be promoted as a professional Party cadre.

Raúl noted that during the Special Period and coinciding with the most severe stage, Díaz-Canel was a member of the Provincial Party Committee in Villa Clara, where he spent nine years. He then spent six years representing the Party in Holguín.

“He was born in Villa Clara, where he spent a good amount of time, as it was a territory he knew well; and it was after that that he was sent to one of the great eastern provinces, Holguín, as we did with more than a dozen young people, most of whom arrived to the Political Bureau, but we failed to materialize their training. He was the only survivor, I would say, exaggeratedly,” Raúl explained.

He also stressed that Díaz-Canel has been a member of the Party Central Committee since 1991, and was promoted to the Political Bureau 15 years ago. He fulfilled a mission in Nicaragua and graduated from the National Defense College. In 2009, he was appointed Minister of Education. Five years ago he was elected First Vice President of the Councils of State and Ministers; and since then “a group of members of the Political Bureau had the feeling that we had hit the nail on the head,” Raúl noted, referring to Díaz’s aptitude to assume the current position, as the basis of which he highlighted his work as in the ideological sphere of the Party Central Committee.

Raúl added: Talking with compañero Machado, I told him that we have to criticize ourselves, because we failed to guarantee the better training of other comrades so that they could occupy leadership positions in the Party and the government. I told him that, at 15 years old, [Díaz-Canel] could have spent 3 years in 5 provinces of the country, so that he would know each better. Thus, we must pay more attention to the training of our cadres.

Raúl immediately pointed out that the election of Díaz-Canel is no accident: “due to his preparation, he is the best, and we know that due to his dedication he will have absolute success in the task entrusted to him by our supreme People’s Power body.”

Comrade Díaz-Canel is not an improvised candidate; over the years he has demonstrated his work capacity, ideological solidity and commitment to the Revolution. His growth has not been the result of haste. His case has not been like others, where we made the mistake of accelerating the process, Raúl stressed.

THE NEW COUNCIL OF STATE

Referring to the composition of the newly elected Council of State, Raúl spoke about Salvador Valdés Mesa, of whom he highlighted his intense career serving the Revolution, and noted how the triumph of 1959 caught him by surprise, working on an agricultural farm. He was one of the young people who participated in the constitution of the Young Communist League, of which he became Secretary General; and he participated in the construction of the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution in several areas of Camagüey.

In 1995, he was appointed Minister of Labor and Social Security. He gradually rose to become Secretary General of the Cuban Workers Federation (CTC), a position he held until 2013, when he was elected a Vice President of the Council of State. He has been a member of the Party Central Committee since 1991 and the Political Bureau for the past 10 years.

Regarding Machado, who has seen more than 60 years of revolutionary struggle, Raúl simply noted that he is an example of modesty and unlimited dedication to his work. “Although he is a little cantankerous as many of you know,” he joked, and added that “in the future he will concentrate his efforts as Second Secretary of the Central Committee.”

Mercedes López Acea deserved a special mention, Raúl noted, who after a commendable 8 years’ work as a member of the Political Bureau and at the head of the PCC in Havana, announced that she would soon take up new functions.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF PEOPLE’S POWER

A total of 42% of deputies to the newly constituted National Assembly of People’s Power were re-elected. Women represent 48.4% of deputies. Both these details were highlighted by Raúl, who stressed that such achievements must be maintained and advanced, to ensure more women, young people and Black and mixed race Cubans occupy the country’s important decision-making positions.

“This Assembly is an example, we can review the résumé of each one of them, but it cost work. That’s why we can not retreat a single millimeter; and it is a subject that we can not leave to simple spontaneity.”

Raúl also highlighted that the Cuban parliament has been rejuvenated, with the average age of deputies having decreased. “Without realizing it, the years have passed. Three women were elected vice presidents of the Council of State, two of them Black, and not because of their skin color but because of their qualities; and this is part of what was adopted in the Party Congress on the cadre policy.”

“It is up to the Party, the state and the government to fulfill and enforce, with due intentionality, the promotion of young people, women and mixed race Cubans, to posts that guarantee the talent pool of the Revolution, without repeating the mistakes already experienced,” he explained.

Raúl welcomed the ratification of the presidency of the National Assembly, and Díaz-Canel’s proposal, as allowed by the Constitution, to present the Council of Ministers during the next session of the Assembly, which will take place in July, to allow sufficient time for the movement of cadre.

“As far as I am concerned, I will continue to serve as Second Secretary of the PCC Central Committee, in what is my second and last mandate, which ends in 2021, when we will complete the transfer to the new generations. From then on, I will be one more soldier alongside the people defending this Revolution.”

“So that there is not the slightest doubt, I want to emphasize that the PCC, in the figure of its First Secretary, will continue supporting the president,” the Army General added.

“We feel with the people a deep satisfaction for the work of the Revolution, and we are overwhelmed by the happiness and confidence of seeing with our own eyes the transfer to the new generations of the mission to defend this work,” he stressed.

CUBAN YOUTH AT THE CENTER

Regarding the new generations, Raúl warned that one of the permanent aims of the enemy is to penetrate, confuse and alienate youth from the ideals of revolutionary work and culture, to lead them toward the commodification of sentiments and disengagement with ethics, solidarity and a sense of duty.

THE NEW CONSTITUTION

The updating of the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba was another subject of the Army General’s speech. He noted that the changes that will be introduced will be submitted to a public referendum.

“I can reveal,” he clarified, “that in the next Constitution there will be no changes to the strategic objective of the Party, which our people will support as in 1976.” That year Cubans voted in favor of the current Constitution with 98% support.

Raúl pointed out that in the Central Committee Plenary Session held in March of this year, the economic and social state of the nation was analyzed. The new Constitution has lagged behind us, he clarified, because the country’s main problems are not resolved, because the participation of different bodies from the grassroots was not achieved for the adequate implementation of the adopted policies.

We never had any illusions that it would be a short and easy process, because its dimensions reached all sectors of society, and we had to overcome negatives in the national economy, he added.

During the 5th Party Central Committee Plenum, the need to reform the Constitution according to what has happened in the political and social order was noted. For this reason, Raúl informed that, in its next session, the National Assembly will create a Commission of deputies that will present a draft text to be debated by deputies and the Cuban people.

THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC LIFE

In the case of the socioeconomic context of the nation, Raúl assured that the experiment with non-agricultural cooperatives will continue, and with respect to the country’s dual currency system, he explained that it continues to be a serious headache, and needs to be resolved, while also noting the need for wage reform. Raúl also emphasized the need for a coherent communications policy.

He also recalled the difficult circumstances in which the country’s economy has had to develop, and the considerable damages caused by the intense drought of the last 3 years and the recent hurricanes that affected most of the country.

Regarding Cuba’s external debt, Raúl noted that work has been ongoing to renegotiate in this area, which has helped to free new generations of a sword of Damocles, and restored the country’s credit rating. The Army General congratulated Minister of Economy, Ricardo Cabrisas, on his work in this regard.

Raúl also called for financial savings, noting that better planning could assist in this respect.

“Defending unity, resisting and resisting, that is the duty of revolutionaries,” he stated.

8TH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

Regarding foreign policy issues, the Army General referred to the recently concluded 8th Summit of the Americas, which was marked by the neo-hegemonic attitude of the United States, whose commitment to the Monroe Doctrine was reiterated, especially with the exclusion of Venezuela from the international event.

It was known that they would put on a show, and Cuba went to Lima in its own right and with its head high, which confirms the determination of Cubans to defend their principles and their values, Raúl stressed. The Cuban delegation, together with that of Bolivia and other countries, prevented the formation of a single front against Venezuela. While the speeches by our foreign minister, on behalf of the Cuban government and people, constituted a worthy response to the interventionist discourse of the Vice President of the United States, he added.

“The civil society members defended the voice of Cuba and the peoples of America with spirit. I take this opportunity to congratulate all the members of the Cuban delegation that participated in this event,” he said.

The Army General stressed Cuba’s commitment to ALBA, noting that this continues to be the world region with the greatest inequality in the distribution of wealth; the gap between rich and poor is huge and growing despite the efforts made in past decades, when progressive governments pushed for policies to mitigate this evil, he noted.

He also denounced the arbitrary and unjust incarceration of former Brazilian president Lula, whose freedom we demand, and rejected accusations of human rights violations in Cuba. He highlighted diplomatic relations with the European Union and the progress of ties with China.

“In just 11 days our people will march together united through our streets and squares commemorating May Day and demonstrating the majority support of Cubans to the Party and their Revolution. And although I had a commitment to be in another province, I decided, because of its importance, to accompany the President of the Councils of State and Ministers at that moment. I will later visit other provinces, because I’m supposed to have less work now,” Raúl concluded among smiles and applause.