Russian leaders speak of Fidel Castro's legacy

HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 29 (acn) Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov and military chiefs Fiodor Ladiguin and Alexander Staravoitov highlighted today in Moscow the influence of Cuban leader Fidel Castro Ruz on the history of humanity, Prensa Latina News Agency reported.

According to Lavrov, Fidel Castro made a great contribution to "guarantee the presence of morale in the international arena, something that we lack so much now," he said after signing the book of condolence at the Cuban diplomatic mission in the Russian capital.

The dignitary stressed that Fidel was present in the beginning of relations between Cuba and the Soviet Union, as well as contemporary Russia, and was a defender of universal values such as the need for freedom, truth and justice.

Colonel-General Ladiguin, former head of the Russian General Staff Headquarters, said that Fidel is a world-class figure and one of the greatest politicians of the 20th and 21st centuries.

He affirmed that he had the luck to meet at least 10 times with Fidel and could perceive in him an extraordinary man, capable of deepen on the processes of humanity and able to predict future trends.

He was an internationalist revolutionary who taught us to live in a different way, not only the people of Cuba, but also the peoples of Latin America and other latitudes. He died, but his cause lives in Cuba and that will be the main monument to his memory, stated Ladiguin.

Army General Staravoitov, who at the time headed the Federal Communications Agency of the Government, noted that a lucid beacon for all the honest people in the world left with Fidel.

He was at the head of the legion that faced imperialism, and his name will always be with us and always inspire us in the great causes, he said.

Staravoitov added that there are very few men like the leader of the Cuban Revolution. His strong image of unyielding fighter will be an example for new generations of people and leaders. I consider him a great personality, not only of our time, but of all of universal history.