Diaz-Canel held taltks with intellectuals at Casa de las Américas in Havana

HAVANA, Cuba, Oct 17 (ACN) Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, held talks with intellectuals on Thursday at the Casa de las Americas, in a meeting that opened a new phase of the Network of Artists and Intellectuals in Defense of Humanity, Granma newspaper reported.

The president emphasized the need to coordinate efforts from the left to confront hegemonic policies and highlighted the responsibility of progressive parties and movements in the face of military threats in the region.

He recalled the legacy of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, in the creation of the Network with President Hugo Chavez Frias in 2003, and underscored the importance of culture as a bridge for the defense of just causes.

Diaz-Canel affirmed that the urgent task was to defend humanity against the resurgence of neo-fascist tendencies and called for strengthening solidarity and critical thinking.

Regarding the situation in Gaza, he expressed concern about the violence against the Palestinian people, while denouncing the attacks against Venezuela and the media campaigns against constitutional president Nicolas Maduro Moros.

The head of state proposed revitalizing the Network's communication as an offensive on the level of ideas, with an emphasis on the defense of the Bolivarian Revolution and Latin American sovereignty.

Abel Prieto Jimenez, president of Casa de las Americas, recalled that the Network emerged in a context of war in Iraq and highlighted its role in mobilizing international public opinion.

Venezuelan communicator Miguel Perez Pirela, elected general coordinator of the Network, warned about the military threat in the Caribbean and conveyed a message from President Nicolas Maduro supporting unity with Cuba.

Other participants, such as historian Elier Ramirez Cañedo and philosopher Fernando Buen Abad, agreed on the need to strengthen revolutionary praxis, create an archive of the crimes of imperialism, and found a university in defense of humanity.

The event included interventions by Mariela Castro Espin, Rosa Miriam Elizalde, and Graciela Ramirez, who highlighted the importance of culture, ethics, and science in the communication battle.

The meeting concluded with a call to consolidate the Internet as a critical and sovereign space, capable of uniting intellectuals, artists, and professionals in the defense of humanity.