[News] Diaz Canel - We are making history every day, right now

[Anti-Imperialist News]

en.granma.cu 
<https://en.granma.cu/cuba/2025-12-19/diaz-canel-we-are-making-history-every-day-right-now> 



  Díaz Canel: "We are making history every day, right now"

Speech by the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, at 
the closing of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the National Assembly of 
People's Power in its 10th Legislature

Author: Wennys Diaz Ballaga <http://en.granma.cu/archivo?a=2376> | 
internet at granma.cu

Author: Carmen Maturell Senon <http://en.granma.cu/archivo?a=2465> | 
internet at granma.cu

Author: Susana Antón <http://en.granma.cu/archivo?a=2119> | 
informacion at granmai.cu

Dec. 19, 2025
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"Only a genuine assembly of the people is capable of facing the colossal 
challenges facing the nation at this moment with a sense of urgency, 
serenity, realism, and commitment, and of projecting itself into the 
future."

  This was stated by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the 
Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, when he 
spoke at the closing of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the National 
Assembly of People's Power in its Tenth Legislature, at which time he 
also thanked everyone for the profound, responsible, and concise debates 
"that allowed us to address crucial issues of our reality."

  He added that "today we have discussed and approved the Economic Plan, 
the Budget, the Government Program to correct distortions and boost the 
economy, the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, among other 
issues. All of them are connected by a challenging set of tasks 
necessary to address the country's current situation and the risks and 
threats looming over the Latin American and Caribbean region, he said.

  "We are living in an extremely complex moment for the economy and the 
daily life of the people, which demands deeper, faster, and more 
responsible responses. This is not just another crisis.

  "It is the accumulation of distortions, adversities, difficulties, and 
mistakes of our own making due to an extremely aggressive external 
siege, in an uncertain and dangerous context for the objectives of 
protecting peace, promoting cooperation, and advancing social justice, 
among other vital issues on the international agenda.

  "This context has also become dangerous for the survival of 
multilateralism, international law, the United Nations Charter, and the 
norms and practices on which international relations have been based for 
eight decades.

  "This threat is manifested in a unique way in impunity because the 
crime of genocide against the Palestinian people has been and continues 
to be allowed.

  "It is also expressed in the new doctrine promoted by the United 
States, which they call, with outrageous impotence, peace through 
strength, but which in essence consists of imposing on everyone the 
arbitrary will and domination of US imperialism through threats and even 
direct aggression."

  The recently published U.S. national security strategy leaves no doubt 
about its hegemonic ambitions against the peoples and nations of our 
America, ignoring and endangering the region as a zone of peace, firmly 
and officially proclaimed since 2014, Díaz-Canel said.

  President Trump, he denounced, openly declares the U.S.'s intention to 
appropriate the resources and natural wealth that belong to sovereign 
nations in the western territory and their respective peoples. This 
explains the push for plans to establish U.S. military bases in various 
countries.

  "The exaggerated and aggressive military presence in the Caribbean Sea 
and the growing and provocative threats against Venezuela with such 
untenable pretexts that change in a matter of hours.

  "The Secretary of State, the Secretary of War, and other shady 
characters involved in dirty wars against the region have managed to 
corner the U.S. foreign policy apparatus in a conflict that appears to 
have no way out and no solution. The threat of open or covert war 
against Venezuela is a serious violation of international law.

  He referred to the assault and hijacking of a fuel tanker and the 
illegal appropriation of its cargo, the nearly 100 extrajudicial 
executions carried out in full view of the world with air strikes 
against ships on the high seas, and the provocative incursions of U.S. 
warplanes into Venezuelan airspace.

  "This is a brutal and risky wartime measure against a country that 
poses no danger to them. It shows the impotent desperation of those who 
have bet on the surrender of that sister nation in the face of the 
violent and ruthless offensive of a clique that has taken over U.S. 
foreign and hemispheric policy.

  "At the recent ALBA summit, we had the opportunity to reaffirm our 
condemnation in the strongest and most categorical terms of the threats 
and aggressive actions against the sister Bolivarian Republic of 
Venezuela and Cuba's absolute support and solidarity with that Latin 
American and Caribbean nation.

  In an almost parallel manner, and for much longer, Cuba has also been 
subjected to relentless economic aggression with a criminal 
intensification of the blockade and the unjustified inclusion of the 
country on the arbitrary list of states that allegedly sponsor terrorism.

  The direct and indirect actions promoted by the U.S. government aimed 
at interfering with domestic macroeconomic performance, promoting 
inflation, and substantially depressing the purchasing power of the 
population are evident.

  The Head of State pointed out that the imperialist leadership has 
continued to use its monopoly power over the media and the technological 
infrastructure of digital networks to promote despair and 
disenchantment, as well as to disorient and confuse, "fuel speculation 
and erode confidence in the leadership of the Revolution by thoroughly 
attacking the emotional fiber of the Cuban nation."

  Even under these conditions and in this year of great challenges, the 
country's prestige and history of solidarity were evident.

  He added that the United Nations General Assembly resolution once 
again called for an end to the blockade and received overwhelming 
support from the international community, despite the dirty tactics and 
brutal pressure from the U.S. government and the fallacies they spread 
about Cuba, some of which were repeated.

  Díaz-Canel highlighted that it has been a year of conscious 
mobilization by solidarity groups with Cuba, political forces, popular 
movements, and civil society organizations in all latitudes on ongoing 
issues, thus expanding ties in various regions of the world and 
directing foreign policy to expand trade links and investment opportunities.

  He said that relations with Cubans living in other countries continue 
to strengthen, with whom, in the year that is coming to an end, contacts 
have been expanded, as has their participation in national events and 
their involvement in commercial, economic, and development projects for 
the good of our society.

  "In analyzing the current situation in the country, we have been 
realistic and self-critical, but we have also reaffirmed our confidence 
in the Cuban people's capacity for resistance and victory. The homeland 
does not surrender."

  Today we conclude an intense working session, he pointed out, one that 
is profound and of vital importance for the present and future of the 
nation. We have addressed, with the revolutionary approach that 
characterizes us, core issues that touch the heart of the socialist 
project that we defend and build together. No one in Cuba needs to be 
told that the economy is under strain.

  "The magnitude of the crisis is recognized, reality is not glossed 
over, and at the same time, the political will to change what needs to 
be changed in order to defend social justice and national sovereignty is 
reaffirmed."

  Díaz-Canel insisted that the transformations that must be made are not 
only structural but also of mentality.

  "The only limit to flexibility is that which threatens our principles, 
self-determination, sovereignty, and national independence; beyond that, 
we must increasingly and fearlessly promote an initiative that helps us 
overcome the powerful obstacles placed by the enemy and move forward," 
he said.

  The president stressed that we are all writing history right now.

  He highlighted the political will to prioritize attention to the 
people, investment in strategic areas, and the constant search for 
efficiency.

  He acknowledged the enormous difficulties facing the country, 
aggravated by an economic blockade that affects us all, saying, "Our 
response is greater creativity, greater discipline, and greater control."

  He stressed that by 2026, there will be a set of actions that seek to 
prioritize food production by guaranteeing basic inputs and, above all, 
generating real incentives.

  He said that investments and operational solutions in the national 
electricity system are being accelerated, combining the repair of 
thermoelectric plants and greater efficiency with the growth of 
renewable energies.

  Likewise, the allocation of foreign currency is regulated and made 
transparent so as to favor sectors that substitute imports and supply 
the domestic market with their own production, giving real autonomy to 
socialist state-owned enterprises to increase productivity and 
efficiency by demanding measurable results without tolerating inertia or 
immobility.

  He added that, from the Assembly, we must demand that every peso in 
the budget be backed by productive or social support, which represents 
the priority of health, education, social security, and protection for 
the most vulnerable.

  The president called for a drastic reduction in unproductive spending, 
projects that do not add value, and structures that do not generate results.

  "Let the territories take greater responsibility for revenue 
collection and the efficient use of resources. It is not a question of 
adjusting for the sake of adjusting, it is a question of adjusting in 
order to continue redistributing fairly."

  In this regard, he said that at the center of the debates is the 
Government Program to correct distortions in the economy, "a 
revolutionary necessity to perfect socialism under construction, to make 
it more prosperous, sustainable, and fair."

  He added that while some measures may have a major impact on daily 
life, inaction would be the greatest danger.

  "We must put order where there is disorder, properly value our work, 
stimulate productive effort, and put a stop to illegalities and imbalances."

  This program, he said, is a call for the conscious participation of 
all Cubans, so that each one, from their position, can be a protagonist 
of rectification and progress.

  For this reason, he said, prices and rates must be regulated, the 
exchange rate chaos must be addressed, the relationship between the 
state and non-state sectors must be improved, production must be 
encouraged, and those who have the least must be protected.

  Meanwhile, the approved program seeks "precisely to correct 
distortions, strengthen the socialist state enterprise as an engine of 
development, and open the way to all forms of history that contribute to 
the collective well-being."

  Regarding the recently approved Science, Technology, and Innovation 
Law, the Head of State said that this is an essential legal instrument 
for charting the path toward technological sovereignty and the 
development we need. "We must make science and innovation the driving 
force behind every sector of society," he stressed.

  This law is a firm step in that direction so that the knowledge 
created by our talented people can be translated into solutions, 
efficiency, and well-being. Science cannot remain in laboratories; it 
must be converted into practical solutions for production, energy, 
health, and the daily lives of the people, he said.

  He stressed that the country does not have infinite reserves of 
material resources, but it does have reserves of scientific, technical, 
and academic talent that are not always exploited. "Key economic 
decisions must be based on evidence, studies, moderation, and impact 
assessment. It is essential to bridge the gap between research and 
production," he remarked.

  "Universities, businesses, and territories must be part of the same 
innovative cycle. Innovation is not only technological, but also 
organizational, managerial, and involves popular participation, 
communication, and social control. Science and innovation must cease to 
be a complement and become the engines of the economic change we need."

  The challenges facing Cuba in 2025 and 2026 will only be resolved 
through concrete work, systematic control, and active popular 
participation. The 11th Plenary Session and this very session of the 
assembly agree on one idea. It is not enough to approve, we must comply, 
and it is not enough to comply, we must be accountable.

  From this assembly, we must make several political commitments, 
strengthen the bond between each representative and their constituents 
by communicating, listening, explaining, and gathering concrete 
proposals to inform public policy.

  The decision to postpone the 9th Party Congress cannot be seen as a 
setback, he said. It is a necessary and timely decision that will allow 
us to unite our forces, improve the situation of the nation, increase 
the confidence of the people, and create the conditions to consolidate 
the construction of socialism, as enshrined in the Constitution. "That 
is what the Army General has called us to do," he said.

  He emphasized that this decision will be an opportunity to dedicate 
2026 to recovering as much as possible and to making progress in 
fulfilling our commitments. It will also allow us to implement the 
adjustments we need to make in the structures of the Party, the 
Government, and the State to facilitate the exchanges of opinions and 
criteria that this process demands.

  "All the forces and energies of the Party, the state, and the 
government, together with the people, must be devoted to improving the 
situation in the country," he insisted.

  He argued that we must continue to move forward in implementing the 
approved economic measures with discipline and control, strengthening 
attention to the territories affected by natural disasters, promoting 
the participation of youth in all areas of national life, intensifying 
the ideological, cultural, and communications battle, and defending the 
truth about Cuba in the face of manipulation and misinformation.

  During this period, the popular debate on the government program must 
also be completed and actions to achieve its objectives must continue to 
be implemented.

  In addition, he added that work will continue on the drafting of 
documents that, after popular consultation, will be debated in Congress 
and are already well advanced.

  "It is now up to us to turn what we have approved here into reality. 
May every law, every plan, and every budget be translated into tangible 
actions in the lives of the people.

  "May science and innovation be translated into concrete solutions, may 
the economy regain its vitality without compromising social justice. Let 
us never neglect unity, the apple of our eye, as the Army General and 
Leader of the Revolution, Comrade Raúl, has called it. Indeed, it is our 
greatest strength in the face of all threats.

  "We trust in our capacity for revolutionary offensive, in our 
resistance, and in our creativity.

  "This will be the real test of our shared and assumed commitment, the 
true measure of the transformative power of this parliament and the 
vitality of the Revolution in Cuba."

  "Here, in the National Assembly, the Assembly of the people of Cuba 
with its young talents, its women and men from the most visible 
professions and trades, white, black, mulatto, seasoned in a thousand 
battles, critical and committed, that of the Cuban Revolution, alive and 
active.

  "The greatest proof of its existence is precisely the determined 
efforts of its enemies to suffocate it and destroy it down to its very 
foundations. This assembly has the honor of presenting a proposal of 
profound patriotic and revolutionary significance."

  "Inspired by the legacy and precedent of our leader and the call for 
unity and continuity, reflecting the sentiment expressed in these times 
by many compatriots, we propose that the year 2026 be officially named: 
the Year of the Centennial of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz."

  "It will be a year to study his thinking more deeply, to emulate his 
example of tireless work, fidelity to principles, and absolute 
confidence in the people and in the victory of ideas."

  Díaz-Canel said that we will not lower our guard, we will deepen the 
ideological and cultural battle, and we will work tirelessly for the 
sovereign and prosperous country that this people deserves.

  "The task is complex, but the will of this people is invincible," he said.

  He pointed out that the ANPP, united in its determination to save 
independence, sovereignty, and the Revolution from the many dangers that 
threaten us today, cannot be separated from the history that brought us 
here, overcoming trials that seemed impossible.

  "May 2026, the centenary year of Commander Fidel Castro Ruz, find us 
more united than ever," he concluded.

*Photo: *José Manuel Correa

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