The President confirmed that a deep and comprehensive restructuring of the international financial architecture is urgently needed. Author: Alejandro Azqui
SANTO DOMINGO. “Always count on Cuba in your efforts to build a more just, prosperous and sustainable world that moves forward towards the development and prosperity of our peoples, blood brothers, history, battles and hopes. In these dazzling territories of America, which inspired Alejo Carpentier’s idea of a wonderful reality, whenever we are together, we find confidence that we can.
This is how beautifully and fraternally the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the President of the Republic spoke this Saturday morning at the XXVIII Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Ibero-American Conference. Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez.
At the Conference Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, where representatives of 22 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, Spain, Portugal and Andorra gathered, the high-ranking representative of the Greater Antilles reminded in his own words that for Cuba the venue of the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit is not just a place: The Dominican Republic has a special place in the heart of the island, which inherited the imprint of José Martí and Generalissimo Maximo Gomez.
The head of state confirmed at an important meeting that “it is very interesting to visit the brotherly Dominican Republic, the cradle of a generous and noble people, geographically and historically connected with Cuba so much that in some regions of our countries it is difficult to distinguish ourselves.”
He stated that “at the apex of this alliance sits Generalissimo Maximo Gómez Báez, born in these lands, who became the exceptional head of the Mumbi forces in the struggle for our independence, therefore in Cuba we pay him a constant and heartfelt tribute. .
“El Viejo Gómez, as he was affectionately called by the people and the troops, with his undeniable military talent and sense of the homeland that transcends Dominican borders, earned the rank of General of the Cuban Liberation Army in a transcendent episode that our history recognizes as the first charge of a machete.
Photo: Alejandro Azcuy
“In that legendary battle, the strategic use of this working tool turned into the most Cuban weapon against the Spanish army.”
This Saturday, as Diaz-Canel Bermudez also recalled, has a “special resonance” for Cubans, because “it was March 25, 1895, exactly 128 years ago, when our national hero José Martí and Maximo Gomez, commander-in-chief of the Liberation Army, signed so called the Montecristi Manifesto.
With a speech of love among the children of Our America, the head of the Cuban state spoke, recalling the cardinal fragment of the Montecristi Manifesto: “We Cubans started the war, and the Cubans and Spaniards will finish it. Don’t hurt us and you won’t be mistreated. Respect and you will be respected. Answer steel with steel, and friendship to friendship. There is no hate in the Antillean chest“.
He then stated that “despite the elapsed tense, The Montecristi Manifesto continues to be a historic landmark in our ongoing struggle to preserve the independence and sovereignty we have won.”
Opportunities offered by the Summit
As President Díaz-Canel Bermudez noted during the Ibero-American event, the 28th Summit provides an opportunity to “turn into action the desire to move towards a more just, supportive and sustainable region. The path to this noble goal undoubtedly involves changing the current unjust, irrational and exceptional international order.”
The President affirmed that a deep and holistic restructuring of the international financial architecture is urgent; that the problem of external debt must be solved once and for all; and this work must be done to avoid a climate catastrophe.
As he has repeatedly done, the Cuban President condemned that the current world, which has suffered from the devastating effects of COVID-19, has become, strikingly and paradoxically, more divided and unequal, “where we are facing multifaceted crises in the areas of health, climate, energy, food , economics and finance that affect all of us, especially developing countries.”
He shared data, as Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz did at these kinds of meetings, very convincing, revealing and not at all poetic, such as the data according to which 828 million people suffered from hunger in 2021 alone. : The World Bank estimates that by the end of 2022, between 75 million and 95 million people should have been living in extreme poverty.
The President asked more than one question: How much more could be achieved if even a fraction of the nearly two million dollars spent on armaments today were devoted to development funding? To what extent could inequality, food insecurity, unemployment, illiteracy and poverty be reduced if the 2030 Agenda were backed by concrete action on market access, fair and concessional financing, capacity building and technology transfer?
On the responsibility that Cuba assumed “with full commitment” as Chairman of the Group of 77 + China; inclusive cooperation to be promoted by the Ibero-American Conference; the designation of the Greater Antilles as the venue for the XXIV Conference of Ibero-American Water Directors (which will take place in November 2023 in Havana) was also addressed by the President, who once again shared his experience with the Ibero-American community and the knowledge that the island boasts regarding management of this valuable resource.
Cuba condemns
“The government of the United States is determined to destabilize our country and destroy the Cuban revolution,” the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba condemned this Saturday, noting that since 2019 the imperial government has increased the blockade against the Caribbean country, “in the extreme dimension.”
The US administration, Diaz-Canel said, took this position “in order to deliberately inflict the greatest possible harm on Cuban families, sow frustration and dissatisfaction, and stifle the economy.” The President stated that “the human damage caused by this policy is incalculable, enormous and cruel.”
To illustrate the point, he mentioned the recently concluded World Baseball Classic and the embarrassing sight that took place in the city of Miami during the game between the teams of Cuba and the United States: “If it were not for him,” he said, “Proof of how much hatred policy aimed at destroying the Cuban revolution, the world could see it unleashed without brakes in an environment as noble and friendly as a sports ground should be. It was a shameful spectacle, only possible thanks to the active instigation and complicity of the political authorities of the City of Miami.”
Photo: Alejandro Azcuy
“Just because we represented Cuba, and because the game was played in a stadium in that city, our players and some of their relatives were harassed and harassed without any consideration in the Baseball Classic semi-finals.
“At the same time, as an insult to the truth and a crime against my country, which is one of the biggest victims of terrorism in the Western Hemisphere, the unjustified inclusion of Cuba in a false list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism, published unilaterally. continues the State Department.
“This is not just a lie, this is unsubstantiated slander. The inclusion in this list of a country whose behavior in resolute rejection and prosecution of any form or manifestation of terrorism is impeccable and recognized makes it extremely difficult for all our financial and commercial transactions and credit opportunities.
Gratitude and Solidarity
“We are grateful for the valuable accompaniment of Ibero-America, for the announcements of the lifting of the blockade and their demands for the exclusion of Cuba from the arbitrary list of state sponsors of terrorism,” said the head of state; and affirmed: “In the face of imperial attempts to re-colonize us and impose a unique culture and patterns on us, the region unites under the leadership of CELAC, committed to declaring Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace.”
Firm solidarity with the legitimate governments of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia, which are under persistent attempts at destabilization; support for Argentina’s just claim to sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Sandwich and South Georgia Islands and adjacent maritime areas; the historic commitment to self-determination and independence of the people of Puerto Rico; and commitment to the peace processes in Colombia. President Díaz-Canel also spoke of such determination in the international projection adopted by Cuba at the 28th Summit.
Likewise, he emphasized that “the brotherly Haitian people need peace and all of our support, great solidarity and international cooperation based on full respect for the sovereignty and self-determination of this nation.” And then he directly recognized the Dominican Republic for the outstanding results achieved during these two years of leadership of the Ibero-American community: “We wish, he said, success to the Republic of Ecuador in its new functions as an interim secretariat.”
Source: Juventud Rebelde
