Miguel Díaz-Canel responded to the report from the U.S. State Department that accuses the Cuban regime of being the "capital of 21st-century communism."
The ruler stated that the document from the Trump administration is a "propaganda pamphlet." He took the opportunity to remind everyone that the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth is approaching and assured that the late communist leader "lives on and promises to continue fighting for a better world."
The statements from the ruler were made at the closing of the VII Ordinary Period of Sessions of the X Legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP), held at the Palace of Conventions in Havana on July 30.
The document to which Díaz-Canel responded was published on July 20 by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In the report, the Cuban regime is accused of having engaged in espionage, institutional infiltration, and support for leftist extremist networks for over six decades, as well as highlighting strategic ties with Russia, China, and Iran.
Díaz-Canel described the text as "the most recent attempt to turn history upside down" and accused the Trump administration of creating pretexts for a potential military aggression against Cuba.
The chancellor Bruno Rodríguez had already described the report as a "slanderous pamphlet" on July 22, aligning with the presidential speech.
Díaz-Canel and his emphasis on reviving Fidel Castro
The rhetoric surrounding Fidel Castro played a central role in Díaz-Canel’s remarks, less than two weeks before the centennial of the birth of the dictator who passed away in November 2016.
"Fidel's ideas are blossoming with a surprising vitality among people of all generations, from all continents, and from the most diverse political schools," the Cuban leader stated, adding, "Fidel is no longer just ours; he is growing and multiplying."
In the same speech, Díaz-Canel described the government of the United States as a "neofascist regime" that repeats "without any shame some of the horrors unleashed by German fascism in its expansionist drive during the first half of the 20th century."
The leader concluded his remarks by affirming that the Cuban government will maintain its firm stance with the United States: “We are not a nation in dispute nor a colony. We are a sovereign people that has chosen its own destiny.”
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