(Shorthand Versions - Presidency of the Republic)
Dear Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution;
Comrade Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs;
Comrades of the Presidency;
Dear comrades and family members of MINREX:
Congratulations!!!
I am very honored to convey to you this congratulations on behalf of our Party and Government on the occasion of today's 65th anniversary of the founding of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose solid prestige is inseparable from the principled policy of the Cuban Revolution.
Few nations in this world can show a sovereign policy consistent with its history as our country. It was very clearly and briefly described by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, at the 3rd Summit of CELAC, in Costa Rica, on January 28, 2015, when he expressed: "The voice of Cuba will tirelessly defend the just causes and interests of the countries of the South and will be loyal to their common objectives and positions knowing that Homeland is Humanity. The foreign policy of the Cuban Revolution will remain faithful to its principles."
I can personally attest to Cuba's prestige and authority in international scenarios and in every corner of the planet where we have shared the honorable task of representing the Cuban Homeland.
That strength, which is strengthened by the resistance, the nobility and the vocation of solidarity of the Cuban people, has its origin in the bold and accurate guidance that Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz drew early on. And it is complemented in practice by the respectful attitude towards others, the humanist essence of the values and principles we defend, and the invariable coherence with which we have promoted peace, cooperation and the peaceful solution of conflicts.
It corresponds to the Minrex and the contribution of each of its officials and workers a special merit in this record of service to the homeland.
The results that have been shown and are in sight are the fruit of the arduous and sustained effort of a generally highly qualified staff, of self-sacrificing comrades, capable of flying and defending the Cuban flag and what it represents in any scenario, many times in the most adverse conditions and under the crudest and most criminal attacks.
For that reason, the first tribute today we want to dedicate to the martyrs of the foreign service, protagonists of a history full of extraordinary and heroic episodes that have not always been made public.
In commemorating these 65 years, we also remember those who, beginning in 1959, under the guidance of Raúl Roa García, and during these six and a half decades, have worked in this organization, representing the Cuban Revolution with admirable dignity.
The goals of development, social progress and defense of the country have always presented Cuba with exceptionally difficult challenges, not only because it is a relatively small country with a modest economic capacity, but also because it has historically suffered the siege of a hegemonic power that questions our right to self-determination, with the sole purpose of controlling and taking over the destiny of the nation. Under these conditions, foreign policy has always had and has today a strategic importance as a bulwark of the Revolution.
This is not something new in our history. Since the proclamation of the Republic in Arms, during the harsh Ten Years' War, the first president, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, and the patriots who accompanied him understood the importance of foreign links to support the emancipation effort. The thought and work of José Martí and his own fruitful diplomatic activity are also solid ethical foundations.
As so many times throughout history, the world today is going through a highly dangerous period, due to the risks of a nuclear conflagration, about which Fidel warned so many times in numerous Reflections.
Unipolarity, prevailing since the last decade of the last century, is giving way to new international actors with their own potentialities. As a result, different and hopeful ways of relating among nations are emerging, which imperialism is determined to avoid.
Diplomatic efforts to prevent progressive global warming have proved fruitless, despite countless conferences and the honest efforts of many governments and thousands of international actors.
In parallel, every day we are impotent witnesses to terrible acts of aggression and genocide being committed with absolute impunity before the eyes of the world, as a result of an Israeli plan to exterminate the Palestinian people and which has not been able to be stopped because of the open protection of the United States with its immoral vetoes of any action by the Security Council.
Comrades:
A country like ours, which marches in the vanguard of the demands for the democratization of the United Nations, for diplomacy to silence weapons, for a new and fairer international order, among other global battles, demands from its managers, officials and workers a high level of professional training and general culture.
I am talking about the need to strengthen the capacity for analysis, foresight and alertness; to encourage the deepest study of all international political issues; to know and know how to interpret in depth the most relevant postulates of International Law; to understand and defend, with conviction, the principles on which the policy of the Cuban Revolution and the cause of socialism rest; to represent those principles with dignity, and to reject, with equanimity, but with unquestionable firmness, any provocation.
A profound identification with the anti-imperialist and internationalist character of Cuban foreign policy and also with the reality of the country, defending with passion, but above all with solid arguments, the truth and the essence of our cause, which are fundamental weapons in the Cuban diplomatic exercise.
It is crucial to strengthen the ideological fiber of diplomats and foreign service workers, their modesty and probity, their austerity, their loyalty to the working people and their willingness to react with determination to every challenge.
Never forget that they represent a people criminally blockaded for six decades, who have known how to resist without renouncing to create a horizon of hope for the dispossessed. And that for millions in the world, especially for those who fight and dream of justice and true freedom for the people, which is ultimately to dream and fight for a better possible world, Cuba has been and continues to be a reference of dignity.
With all the problems, with all the difficulties we face today, with all that we lack and what we have to do to put the economy on a sustainable path, this country has achieved goals of justice that continue to be an aspiration for tens of millions of people in the world.
Cuba has had the unparalleled ability to bring that justice to many peoples of the world, with solidarity and respect for the rights of others. It has had the merit of influencing, for the better, important political processes in the region and beyond.
Without chauvinism, we can say that several international observers, both friends and adversaries, recognize the positive and disproportionate influence, with respect to its small size, that Cuba has had at the global level.
Those who know us expect us to play an active role in the defense of those banners of hope in the face of imperialism, that is, in the face of selfishness, exploitation, abuse, usurpation, inequality, racism and all forms of discrimination.
From Fidel and Raúl we inherited the will to fight for a world order based on justice, equity and peace, to replace the unjust and unequal capitalist system that prevails today, in which wealth continues to be concentrated in the privileged elites of a few industrialized countries and, in particular, of imperialist powers that benefit from an order based on centuries of exploitation and slavery.
That will is what we will bequeath to the new generations with our internal battle for the development and welfare of all, and with our dignified and active action in the international arena.
On behalf of the Party and the Government, we congratulate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its 65th anniversary, ratifying the trust placed in you and the deep recognition for such a meritorious and effective record of service that fills our people with pride and exalts the name of Cuba in every corner of the world.
The difficult times we live in will demand from you and from all of us to be more and more at the height of the heroic people to which we have the privilege of belonging. For that people, who deserve everything, let us work tirelessly and creatively.
Ever onward to Victory!
Fatherland or Death!
We shall overcome!
(Applause.)
