Cuban president opens 20th Summit of ALBA-TCP

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 14 (ACN) Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuban president, thanked the solidarity aid received by sister nations of the region during the confrontation with the pandemic, when the US imperialism also tightened the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba and unleashed a fierce campaign aimed at overthrowing the Revolution.

Inaugurating the 20th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) at the Palace of the Revolution, the Cuban leader conveyed a cordial greeting from Army General Raul Castro to the heads of state and government and other high-ranking officials representing their countries at this meeting, which is being held to coincide with the 17th anniversary of its constitution.

He expressed his support and solidarity towards the results of the electoral processes held this year in which their respective people voted in favor of noble causes, as occurred with the victory of the Socialist Party of Venezuela; in Nicaragua with the reelection of Commander Daniel Ortega as president and in Bolivia with the inauguration of Luis Arce as president.

Cuban leader also challenged the recent Democracy Summit organized by the White House and contrasted his concept of true democracy, that which is not based on the power of arms, and reiterated the principles of ALBA-TCP to achieve greater integration, cooperation and complementarity.

This summit is the culmination of the hard work of that organization, said Diaz-Canel and pointed out that much is still to be done, hence his call to continue strengthening the alliance, in addition to ratifying the commitment of Cuba to fight for unity, cooperation and to make the proclamation of this region as a zone of peace a reality.

He emphasized that in these challenges, the ideas of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez remain alive in the path of integration, 17 years after the founding of ALBA-TCP.