Raúl Castro Awarded Lenin Prize for his loyalty and struggle
After the multitudinous parade of workers in the José Martí Revolution Square in Havana, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, was awarded with the Lenin Prize by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, “for his exceptional contribution to the construction of socialism and his work to consolidate the principles of justice, humanism and social progress.
Upon receiving it from Iván Mélnikov, first vice president of the State Duma and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Raúl expressed that he welcomed it “not in a personal capacity, but in the name of all our people, of the communist militants and as a recognition to the leadership of our the PCC.
He pointed out that the Lenin Prize is a reliable demonstration of the historical relations between the two peoples, “which have lasted in different scenarios and which today are reinforced and renewed.
The Army General reiterated that the Largest of the Antilles will never forget “the gratitude that we, the Cuban revolutionaries, owe to the Soviet Union and especially to the heroic Russian people. In this regard, he recalled the words that Fidel once expressed to him: “without the help of all kinds that we got from the Soviet Union, it was difficult, however heroic the resistance of our people would have been, to have emerged victorious in all those difficult years.
During the simple ceremony – which took place at the José Martí Memorial and which was attended by President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and other members of the Political Bureau of the PCC – the First Vice President of the State Duma and of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation pointed out that Raúl also deserved the distinction for his performance in the international struggle against anti-communism and colonialism, and his consequent stance in strengthening Cuban-Russian friendship.
Ivan Melnikov described as special bonds the relationship that has always united the two nations, whose distinctive feature is “the consolidation of our strategic association and the agreement of positions on all the problems that concern our mutual interests in all international spaces.
He recalled the “road of courage and resistance” traveled by the Cuban people, “amidst permanent political and economic pressures from the enemies of this island of freedom.”
The achievements of the Revolution and its people,” said the Russian leader, “are indissolubly linked to the name of Commander Fidel and, of course, of Raúl.
The Lenin Prize, created in 1925, was one of the most important distinctions of the Soviet Union and is announced each year on April 22, the day of the birth of the leader of the October Great Socialist Revolution.
(Taken from Granma in Spanish)
Written by Radio Grito de Baire
