Díaz-Canel: Together we have won and together we will win

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec. 21 (ACN) "United we have won and united we will win," said Miguel Díaz-Canel, President of the Republic of Cuba, this Saturday during the closing speech of the Fourth Ordinary Session of the National Assembly of People's Power.

At the plenary in the Convention Center, attended by Army General Raúl Castro, First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, the president said that 2019 was a year full of challenges, tensions and aggressions, however "together we faced them and together we went forward, he said
He stressed that one of the work priorities in the coming months is the legislative exercise, following the principles of the Revolution, which knows and shares humanist principles and has fought for them.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that we will only arrive at this model of society as we have arrived here: with unity and in unity, not by fragmenting or seeking what divides us, he said.
Díaz-Canel said that another of the prioritized scenarios is the ideological one, which is related to the deep convictions of the revolutionary people formed by Fidel Castro and which needs timely information.
He said that the economy is also a priority and that it has become the first objective to be destroyed by the enemies in order to demonstrate that socialism is unviable; however, the Revolution has shown that socialism is the only possible path, he said.
To that end, he said, we need greater, more diverse and better quality production, with the added value of science to increase exports and decrease imports at the level of the scientific knowledge and skills of Cubans.
He indicated that the readjustments in the economic model seek prosperity for the people, but not at the cost of leaving the majority out of the benefit of development.
As regards the monetary issue, he recalled an idea expressed by Army General Raúl Castro, in which he referred to the cost of the monetary duality for the state business sector, which causes that unfair inverted pyramid of society, discourages people from occupying management positions, and causes many to migrate to the private sector.
He assured that the regulation cannot be delayed any longer, that it is in an advanced phase of study and approval, and that currently efforts are concentrated on the integral validation of the results, the elaboration of legal norms and training, assurance and communication sessions are developed.
The Cuban President commented that these are complex processes that comprehensively cover various sectors of society, so that the transformations will be applied in the least aggressive way possible, minimizing the consequences on the population.
It is not only a currency exchange, he said, so he ratified the protection of bank deposits in foreign currency, convertible pesos and national currency, as well as cash in the hands of the population; all measures will be timely announced, he said.
In assessing the events of the current year, he described it as an exceptional period, and alluded to early 2019, when a tornado devastated homes in five municipalities of the capital and then a real tornado of work, effort, solidarity and collective intelligence erased the blow of nature.
This is also seen in the Housing Program with the completion of 10,000 more houses than planned, and in the coming periods we want to do 60,000 annually, because only then will we solve the accumulated problems, he said.
2019 was the year of seeing the results of the strongest investments in land and rail transport, with the implementation of new cars and the rehabilitation of stations, the incorporation of buses, semi-buses and tricycles, in addition to the recovery of other equipment.
In the budgeted sector, salaries were multiplied by up to three times, which meant the reincorporation of more than 12 thousand teachers, which now means 96 percent of the teaching coverage, said Díaz-Canel, who on the occasion of tomorrow's Educator's Day, transmitted a congratulation and recognition to the Cuban educators.
He stressed that during this stage, access to telephony and Internet was increased and, in the case of tourism, more than four million visitors were managed, new rooms were put into use and progress was made in the linkage with national production, foreign investment and the non-State sector.
He also pointed out that among the main advances seen in recent times are those of the Mariel Special Development Zone, in which industrial plants that manufacture Cuban products needed for the domestic market and with export possibilities are already operating.
The most important event of the year was the approval of the new Constitution, which opens new paths to the institutionalization of the country, and that for its implementation six laws have been approved, something unprecedented in the Cuban legislative exercise, he said.
The president commented that today significant steps were taken in this institutionalization, by appointing the Prime Minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the members of the Council of Ministers, and that all of them will be required to fulfill their mandate with the people.
He recalled that in the context of the difficulties to access fuel, Cuba took measures with saving practices that cannot be circumstantial, but must be taken as everyday, because "the good thing about bad times is that they educate us in good practices".
He stressed that the main obstacle to development is the U.S. blockade, with an increase in aggression against Cuba, applying more than one measure per week to suffocate the national economy.
Flights, cruises, financing have been cancelled, there is no area free of persecution, nor revolutionary work unrelated to defamation, he denounced.
He said that all this has been confronted with the strength of the people, the experience of a 60-year-old model, although there were consequences in agriculture and food distribution, it has been shown that only with unity and firmness can any obstacle be overcome, "we are calm but attentive," he said.
We remain committed to preserving formal ties and the few spaces for cooperation that remain between the two countries, he said, but he emphasized that Cuba will take all necessary measures to stop the attacks, care for the people, and defend the sovereignty and independence of the country.
In his speech, Díaz-Canel stated that his country will maintain solidarity and cooperation with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela under the legitimate presidency of Nicolás Maduro, as well as with the Sandinista people led by Daniel Ortega, while ratifying sympathy with the government in Mexico of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Alberto and Cristina Fernández in Argentina.
He stressed that in terms of international relations, Cuba has taken significant steps, and in the year we find the strengthening of cooperation with Russia, China and Vietnam, and the positive balance in the ties with the European Union and its member countries.
The Cuban leader urged to live the next days and hours as if the Revolution were triumphing again, which was done many times in 2019.
May the squares be filled with music and joy in the 61st year of the Revolution, they aimed to kill us and we are alive, celebrating and determined to continue winning, he concluded.