“Dear Comrade Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez,
Dear Comrade and Master General of the Army Raúl Castro Ruz,
We wish to convey an affectionate greeting and a warm embrace, always in solidarity with the heroic people of Cuba, who once again today serve as the host par excellence for the Peoples of the South. Havana, the capital of the global South family, couldn’t be a more fitting location for our organization, the G77 plus China, to convene at the epicenter of the Resistance of the Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, a legacy of Revolutionary Cuba, the Cuba of the People, and the Cuba founded by the great Fidel Castro Ruz.
Here we are in Havana, Mr. President, after a 28-hour journey, traveling from Beijing to Algeria and then to Havana, to be on time to extend our hand in friendship and share this gathering with our Family. I was speaking to an African President earlier, and I emphasized that this is our home, our family, a space where we are all equals. No one here attempts to impose themselves, dominate, plunder, despise, or exclude. This is the Great Family of Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and the family of the peoples of the South.
The G77 is approaching its 60th anniversary, and with China joining next year, we anticipate the Southern Summit in Uganda. We extend our best wishes to Uganda and Africa for a successful and historic summit. Sixty years may pass quickly, but it’s a substantial amount of time. We should reflect on what has occurred in the world during these 60 years—how many struggles, battles, advancements, setbacks, pains, and hopes. Here we are, 60 years later, setting the tone for what should be a civilizational model promoting dialogue, inclusion, and integration. As the Peoples of the South, we must chart our own paths and political models without accepting dictates from any former or current power with colonial or domination ambitions.
The 21st Century must be Our Century! We must promote practical cooperation with a more significant impact, particularly in education, science, and technology. Science and technology cannot be separated from education, so we must link them and encourage practical collaboration between regions and countries. We must also turn to our brothers who have advanced further and request more support and assistance.
Having just visited China, I am genuinely impressed by the scientific and technological progress in all aspects of society, economics, and culture. We must appeal to the new Emerging Powers, who occupy a fundamental space in this 21st Century and are part of our family, including China, India, and others, to help us advance further. Access to knowledge and technology applied to health, agriculture, food production, industry, extraterrestrial space development, telecommunications, social networks, and the internet are all fundamental elements we cannot afford to neglect, regardless of the size of our countries.
If there’s an area where a significant gap exists, and all our People are aware of it, it’s the management of the internet. Who manages the internet, who controls the internet, who has imposed its dominance over social networks circulating in our countries without any regulation, legislation, or control? Just as social networks can profoundly impact the social and communication life of our countries, we need the National States to provide guidance and regulation, which is essential. Therefore, we must prioritize applying knowledge to science and technology to attain independence in communication within the internet and social networks.
Comrades, we must strongly advocate for a global initiative within the United Nations Organization to cease unilateral coercive measures against the People of the World and all countries. Today, we strongly advocate for the lifting of the Criminal Blockade that has been in place for more than 60 years against the People of Cuba!
The G77 must raise its voice louder and declare that it’s enough with the persecution of the People of the World who seek independence and wish to build their own models. We must do more, much more. In these 60 years of the G77, we have accumulated great experiences, and all the historical, political, and geopolitical conditions seem to be aligning for the Peoples of the South to raise our flags of Independence and Sovereignty in this 21st Century. We must build the 21st Century as Our Century, the Century of Free Peoples! No empires, no colonialism, no hegemonism! Free Peoples should shape our relationships based on solidarity, cooperation, knowledge, and permanent complementarity.
Comrade President Miguel Díaz-Canel, I deeply appreciate the invitation extended to our Homeland. Rest assured that Cuba can count on the G77+ China’s unwavering, militant, and active support in the noble causes of this 21st Century, which belongs to us, the Peoples of the South! Thank you very much!”
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