Address by President Comandante Daniel at the XXII ALBA-TCP Summit
Havana, Cuba
December 14th 2022
December... Granma... Raúl, the landing of the Granma! There is Fidel, there is Raúl, who are not saying "look what I did”, but saying "I'm making Revolution", and they continue still consistent with their Principles. And the consequence is bequeathed by means of the example, the firmness, of Fidel, of Raúl, the historical leaders of this Cuban and Latin American, Caribbean, African, World Revolution... Yes, a Revolution that has earned the respect of the countries of the World, including the North American People.
And our Brother Miguel Diaz-Canel, who was in our land, out in the war zones, in the 1980s, accompanying us with that same solidarity the Cuban Revolution knew then and knows how to express now, accompanying our People, our Youth, who faced once more the aggression of Yankee Imperialism. Because the Yankees have intervened directly in Nicaragua.
Since the last century, since 1856, the first battle took place in Nicaragua, where the Yankee expansionists who had imposed an American President on our country, recognized by the Yankee government, were defeated. Yes, we had a Yankee President: William Walker. They came to seize Nicaragua, so as to take control of the passage of the Canal through Nicaragua. And they were defeated!
Then, the American troops intervened in our country at the beginning of the last century, back in 1912, and the Nicaraguan People, the Nicaraguan Patriots, led by General Benjamín Zeledón, confronted the Yankee troops, once again, despite the power and despite the fragility of our Country, a small country, with a small population, with a very limited economy.
And the Yankees thought that the People were going to surrender, and they even went so far as to invite the soldiers, like General Benjamin Zeledón, to surrendhad er and that they were going to spare their lives. And Zeledón replied, with a letter to his family, to his wife, that he, as they would understand, had no alternative but to give up his life, rather than ever surrender to the Yankee Empire. And on October 4, 1912, General Benjamin Zeledón fell confronting the Yankee troops. And then came Sandino.
And this is how the Revolution triumphed, faced with Yankee imperialism that had installed the Somoza tyranny in our country, arming it, and nonchalantly, you know, Roosevelt's famous phrase is well known when they ask him about Somoza, because Somoza visited the United States, he was a friend of the United States, he was armed by the United States, he had been used by the Yankees to assassinate Sandino.
And when they ask Roosevelt, but how is it possible that you receive a tyrant like Somoza? He told them: He may be a tyrant, and he may be a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch. That's how the Yankee calmly put it. Those are the Yankees, that is the nature of their Empire which has not disappeared, and as long as we have an Empire we will have that imperialist behavior.
We salute Presidents, brother Nicolás Maduro, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; our brother Luis Arce, of Bolivia. Our greetings to the Prime Ministers.
Just now, listening to the Prime Minister of Grenada, I was immediately reminded of Bishop. Those were the times when Cuba was fighting on its own in Our America, and then Sandinista Revolution triumphed, and then Bishop came to the presidency, to lead Grenada, and Torrijos was there in Panama too, participating in heroic struggle.
I remember that meeting in Managua, with Bishop, with Fidel, in the years 1981, 79, 80, 81, yes, they were the first Anniversaries of the Revolution, mind you. And then came the murder of Bishop, the invasion of US troops into Grenada, and anyone would have thought that Grenada was already surrendered. But Grenada had not surrendered, it kept alive what is the Dignity that every People has, the Dignity that every Human Being has, and that Dignity gives the strength to fight the toughest battles and emerge victorious, as Grenada has emerged on this occasion. Congratulations, beloved brother, beloved brothers.
And given that link of Cuba with the Peoples of the Caribbean, we followed Miguel's tour of all the Caribbean countries, about which our brother from Grenada reminded us. Those are the realities, don't tell me what you did yesterday, tell me what you are doing today, tell me what you are going to be doing tomorrow, and then I can tell you that you are acting consistently, as a Revolutionary.
Today we are commemorating one more anniversary of that historic moment when Fidel and Chávez met, here in Havana. For the first meeting, Chavez was not yet president. And in fact, I had the privilege of being here in Havana such that Fidel sent for me, and they took me there to Old Havana where an activity was under way in the small square, and there with Fidel I had the great surprise of listening Chávez, with that revolutionary language of his, with that firmness.
And there a Unity was being born between two brotherly Peoples, between Cuba and Venezuela. And also Nicaragua, because Fidel introduced me to Chávez and we mentioned to Chávez the Sao Paulo Forum, because the Sao Paulo Forum was due to be held then in El Salvador; and so I suggested to Chávez, it would be good if you could go to the Forum, beacuse it's a starting point for our Peoples in struggle.
Then came Chávez's victory, relations with Cuba were strengthened, and then came the creation of ALBA, ALBA-TCP, Fidel and Chávez, Chávez and Fidel. Fidel and Chávez are present here this day, on this 18th Anniversary of the Founding of ALBA. They are present! We feel them in our blood, we feel them in our heart, we feel them in our conscience; they give us more strength, more firmness, to continue fighting the battle against aggressive imperialism.
And ALBA has been discussed, in great detail, its impact, the projection of ALBA in the field of solidarity. And we also have to add ALBA's impact in making that miracle occur, indeed, because it was thanks to the impulse of ALBA that the miracle took place of the Latin American and Caribbean Peoples deciding, once and for all, to start making Bolívar's dream come true via CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
And we have to continue opening spaces, widening spaces, because undoubtedly the battle is gigantic, we are facing a kind of "Gordian knot" that imperialism tied, that the colonialist Nations tied when the United Nations was created after World War II. Who created the United Nations? Who dictated those principles in order not to comply with them? The colonialists! We are not mistaken, let's not be confused.
The behavior of the United Nations is hardly surprising since it is run by the colonialists, by the Imperialists of the 51 Countries that appear as the original signatories of the United Nations. After all, there were many tyrannies there, including Somoza. And then, of those 51 countries, 11 countries were occupied by the European powers - 11 countries, mind you! That is, the European powers signed via countries that they had occupied.
And the great challenge we have now in the world is the re-founding of the United Nations, under the principle of multipolarity. It is time to create a New World, where principles that can be fulfilled are really established, or enforcing the principles of the United Nations that arre not complied with.
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And the biggest example of the shamelessness of the United Nations, the shamelessness of the Secretary General of the United Nations, is that, how many times has the majority voted? There has been a majority vote at the United Nations to suspend the sanctions against Cuba, 98%, 99% of the votes in favor. But nothing happens, rather the Sanctions are intensifying, the blockade is intensifying, the aggression against the Cuban people is intensifying.
But this is a heroic People, a People with consciousness, a brave People, currently facing a battle demanding immense Solidarity and much more pressure within the United Nations so as to comply with what is voted. Otherwise, what is the point of being at the United Nations if only the decisions of the colonial, neocolonial, imperialist powers are imposed there?
That is the field laid out in front of us, the conditions that are given, that have been given, so that, given the imperialist position seeking to maintain its hegemony, that knot must be undone, imperialism must be beheaded. Why? So that Peace, democracy, stability can really reign in the World, and that the principles of the United Nations are then fulfilled.
May the People of Cuba, that example of resistance, of heroism, be assured they are not alone in this battle, that they are accompanied by the Peoples of the World. Even when there are governments that submit to the Yankee Empire, the Peoples are backing, fighting, giving battle alongside the People of Cuba. And, once again, Cuba will win! Marti will win! Fidel will win! Raul will win! Miguel will win! Che will win!
Ever onward to Victory!