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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">"We have lived through difficult times, these in particular are very difficult, but we will overcome them together"</h1>
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<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">February 6, 2026</div>
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<p><img src="http://en.granma.cu/file/img/2026/02/medium/f0040185.jpg" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" width="521" height="391" style="margin-right: 25px;"></p>
<strong>Photo: </strong><span>Estudios Revolución</span>
<p>The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and
President of the Republic, comrade Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez,
responding to requests from various media outlets in recent hours, has
decided to devote part of his busy schedule to answering your questions.<br>I don't know, Mr. President, if you would like to introduce the dialogue.<br>Miguel
M. Díaz-Canel.- I would just like to reiterate my greetings and thank
you all for your interest in this meeting at such a complex time for our
country.<br>We are aware that there are concerns among the population
about everything that has been happening, as well as about the intense
media campaign of slander, hatred, and psychological warfare that is
being imposed at this time.<br>This meeting with you gives us the
opportunity to explain a whole range of issues, including our
projections, the ways in which we are seeking to get out of this
situation as quickly as possible and, above all, our disposition, our
will, and our efforts.<br>Arleen Rodríguez: When you arrived, you told us that you had just had an important meeting.<br>Miguel
M. Díaz-Canel: That also meant that we had to set a series of
priorities. We had to make a series of assessments in the Political
Bureau, in the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers, in the
National Defense Council, and now we have just had a meeting in the
Council of Ministers to update a plan.<br>In particular, what we were
looking at in the Council of Ministers were the government's directives
for dealing with an acute fuel shortage. And you will understand
precisely why we are talking about this issue.<br>Arleen Rodríguez: I give the floor to my colleagues.<br>I will start with Oliver Zamora, who had also asked us to talk about the situation after January 3.<br>Oliver Zamora, representing RT, Russia Today.<br>Oliver Zamora: Greetings, President.<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel.- Greetings, Oliver.<br>Oliver
Zamora.- I would like to ask you about two issues. First, the rhetoric
of collapse that has begun to strengthen from the U.S. government, from
President Donald Trump, of course, repeated by media outlets
sympathetic to this government after the events of January 3.<br>I would
like, if possible, to delve a little deeper into the actual level of
dependence that existed between the two governments, and what can be
expected in bilateral relations between Cuba and Venezuela now.<br>And a
second issue, the wave of solidarity that Cuba has received. To know if
that solidarity, which so far has been at the level of discourse, could
also become more practical solidarity, despite the threats from the
United States.<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel.- All right, Oliver.<br>I
believe that the theory of collapse and the insistence on collapse is
closely related to the theory of the failed state and to a whole set of
constructs that the U.S. government has used to characterize the
situation in Cuba.<br>Precisely, this theory of collapse is associated
with one of the currents or one of the directions in which the United
States government is striving to overthrow the Cuban Revolution.<br>I
say that there are two fundamental directions: economic suffocation,
which dates back to the 1960s with the Mallory Memorandum, and military
aggression. This is very well summarized in one of the recent
statements by the President of the United States, when in the first part
of a sentence he said that they had applied all possible pressure
against Cuba, acknowledging that there is no failed state, but rather a
state that has had to face with great resistance the maximum pressure,
not from just anyone, but the maximum pressure for economic suffocation
from the world's leading power. Moreover, this power has an imperial
foundation and a hegemonic purpose of domination.<br>On the other hand,
there is military aggression, when the second part of that sentence says
that there was nothing else to do but take the place and raze it,
occupy the place and raze it.<br>I believe that we have in our history,
in the 67 years of the Revolution, with the emergence of the blockade,
this theory of economic suffocation, this purpose of economic
suffocation. I always say that all generations of Cubans who were born
in the early years of the Revolution, even the most recent ones, our
grandchildren, our children, were born and live under the blockade, and
we were born under the signs of that economic suffocation. We have
always had shortages, we have always had complex difficulties, we have
always had to function amid vicissitudes and impositions and pressures
that are not imposed on anyone else in the world, much less in such a
prolonged manner. And there are examples of the things we have
experienced.<br>What happens is that I believe that collapse, and it is
in the mentality, it is in the imperial philosophy, but it is not in the
mentality of Cubans, collapse cannot be associated only with the
pressures and intentions of an imperial government. In our vision of
collapse, there is the concept of resistance, of creative resistance,
which has to do with defending the ideas we believe in, defending the
convictions we believe in, with a conviction of victory that we also
believe in.<br>I am not an idealist. I know that we are going to
experience difficult times. We have experienced difficult times, and
these in particular are very difficult, but we are going to overcome
them together, with creative resistance, with the effort and talent of
all Cubans, of the majority of Cuban women and men.<br>The relationship
with Venezuela cannot be classified as one of dependency. Many try to
see it as a relationship of dependency between two countries, and in
doing so, they restrict it, reducing it to an exchange of goods and
services, and that is not the reality of the relationship we have had
with the Bolivarian Revolution.<br>Since Chávez led the Bolivarian
Revolution, a whole relationship of cooperation and collaboration has
been woven, based on principles of solidarity, above all, of integration
and complementarity: how two brotherly countries, friends, could take
advantage of each other's potential in terms of that integration, that
complementarity. That is why the Comprehensive Collaboration Agreement
between Cuba and Venezuela came about more than 25 years ago.<br>And why
comprehensive? Because it covers many areas, including energy, food
sovereignty, education, higher education, literacy, cadre training, and
human resources training. There are also issues related to industry,
mining, telecommunications, cultural exchange, and political exchange.
And that transcended the relations between Cuba and Venezuela.<br>In
that relationship and in that agreement, remember that four years later
ALBA-TCP emerged, which was to take the concepts of that relationship to
a group of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. <br>Subsequently,
ALBA-TCP also supported Petrocaribe, which was a group of projects also
focused on energy, but with an emphasis on social issues, social
justice, equity, opportunities, and the benefit and development of the
peoples, not only of Venezuela and Cuba, but of Latin America and the
Caribbean.</p>
<p><img src="http://en.granma.cu/file/img/2026/02/medium/f0040186.jpg" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" width="521" height="391" style="margin-right: 25px;"></p>
<strong>Photo: </strong><span>Granma</span>
<p>This reflects the concept of integration, the integration that Martí
dreamed of, that Bolívar dreamed of, and that Fidel and Chávez defended,
and to which we are all committed, because there are thousands of
Cubans who have participated in missions carried out in the context of
this agreement, of this collaboration.<br>On other occasions I have
explained, and it is because I feel it, right? That there is no regional
integration bloc that has achieved in such a short time the social
successes achieved by ALBA-TCP, which was born as part of that close
relationship between Cuba and Venezuela.<br>Remember that there is
something very significant, I would say very heartfelt, which was the
Milagro Mission, which restored sight to more than 3.5 million Latin
Americans who had lost their vision due to diseases that could be
treated with other approaches, not with a commercial approach, not with
an approach based on wealth, but with an approach based on social
justice, with an approach based on equity.<br>With a Cuban method, Yo sí
puedo (Yes, I can), for literacy, in that context of integration, four
countries managed to overcome illiteracy and declared themselves
territories free of illiteracy. You may say to me, "But, well, that is a
social achievement to which everyone aspires." Yes, but it has not yet
been achieved in the world.<br>Consider that in Latin America and the
Caribbean, since Cuba declared itself the first territory free of
illiteracy in Latin America and the Caribbean, how many years passed,
how many decades passed before four other countries were able to achieve
it? And they were able to achieve it precisely with that concept of
complementarity and integration in a system of relations not based on
selfishness, but based precisely on these concepts, which are more
humanistic concepts, which are concepts of an approach of leaving no one
behind.</p>
<p><img src="http://en.granma.cu/file/img/2026/02/medium/f0040187.jpg" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" width="521" height="347" style="margin-right: 25px;"></p>
<strong>Photo: </strong><span>Juvenal Balán</span>
<p>Of course, very important economic and commercial relations and
collaborative projects were woven here. One of those projects,
especially in energy, for the provision of medical services, compensated
for a significant part of the fuel needs, not all, but a significant
part, especially in more recent times; at another time they did cover
all of our country's fuel needs, but in these times they no longer
covered everything, because let us remember that Venezuela has been
subject to sanctions, Venezuela has been subject to coercive measures,
to pressure, and that has also affected this exchange, which has been
maintained to a very large extent, but which has not always reached the
levels of another time.<br>Now it is very affected when the energy
blockade began, the naval blockade of Venezuela, which has prevented
Venezuelan ships or ships from other countries carrying Venezuelan fuel
from reaching Cuba. The situation has worsened even further with the
recent Executive Order issued by the United States Government, which is
manipulating countries that supply oil by threatening them with tariffs.
It is practically this pretext that has turned it into an energy
blockade of our country.<br>The future of Venezuela's relations lies in
how we are able to build that future from the present situation of a
Venezuela that has been attacked, whose president and his wife were
illegally kidnapped and are being held in a prison in the United States.<br>When
it comes to collaboration, we do not impose collaboration. We offer
collaboration, we share collaboration, we share solidarity when
governments, peoples, or nations ask us to. And under that concept, we
have maintained that collaboration with Venezuela over the years.<br>Everyone
knows Martí's phrase about his commitment to Venezuela, which we have
all taken on. Therefore, we also have commitments to that Bolivarian
land, we have very intense feelings. And as long as the Venezuelan
government promotes and defends collaboration, Cuba will be willing to
collaborate.<br>The other question has to do with support. I believe
that there has been immediate support at the international level. There
are various opinions from spokespersons, foreign ministries,
international leaders, and movements that bring countries together.<br>I
had a report here, a chronology since February 1st of how many signs of
support have been received: the Morena Movement; the spokesperson for
the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, who has appeared several
times in recent days; the Russian ambassador to the United Nations;
Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, of Palestinian origin and
representative for Michigan; Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo
Jiakun; the Venezuelan government; the Belgian Minister of Mobility,
Climate, and Environmental Transition, who spoke in this regard in his
country's House of Representatives; MEPs Irene Montero of Spain and Marc
Botenga of Belgium; the Secretary General of South Africa's ruling
party, the African National Congress; President Claudia Sheinbaum, who
in practically all her morning press conferences answers questions
related to Mexico's position and its support for Cuba; the Mexican
Foreign Ministry; the Chinese Embassy in Washington; Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov; our friend Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party of the
Russian Federation; the Russian Ambassador to Venezuela; the
Cuba-Philippines Friendship Association; Democratic Representative
Gregory Meeks, from the New York district; and President Putin.<br>Today
we learned of a statement by the Non-Aligned Movement and another
statement by the member states of the Group of Friends in Defense of the
United Nations Charter.<br>We also know that today there were telephone
conversations between the President and Secretary General of the
Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, and the President of the Russian
Federation, Putin, in which they also expressed their support,
commitment, and decision to continue collaboration and cooperation with
Venezuela and Cuba. That is what we could say in general terms has
happened in terms of support and speeches.<br>But behind those speeches
there is more, things that we cannot openly explain today, because the
enemy is persecuting every avenue that could be opened to Cuba, every
path that could be opened to Cuba, but I can assure you with all sense
of responsibility that Cuba is not alone, and that at a time like this
there are many people: governments, countries, institutions, companies
that are willing to work with Cuba and that have already sent us
channels, mechanisms, intentions of how we can do it.<br>The energy
persecution, the financial persecution, the intensification of these
coercive measures is such that we know we have to work very hard, very
creatively, very intelligently to overcome all these obstacles; but
there is courage in a group of institutions, people, and governments
around the world to support us. And that is what we can say or explain
today for obvious reasons.<br>Arleen Rodríguez: Thank you, President.<br>Claudia,
representing the People's Republic of China's Xinhua news agency, had
asked to speak along with Oliver. And Esther Liliam, please get ready.<br>Claudia Fonseca: Greetings, President.<br>In
response to this Executive Order, there have been demonstrations, as
you mentioned, rejecting this reinforcement of the energy blockade. I
would like you to comment on what the countries of the Global South
could do to support Cuba specifically in this regard.<br>Miguel M.
Díaz-Canel: Every time one observes what is happening, the lessons we
have been able to learn in recent days from what happened in Venezuela
and the reaction of the United States government towards Cuba and others
after Venezuela, one thinks about what the world could do, because I
believe that the world cannot allow itself to be subjugated, the world
cannot allow itself to be humiliated, the world cannot allow force to
crush multilateralism. I think and believe that on issues like this,
the first thing is that we must understand, countries must understand,
peoples must understand what is happening.<br>They have to understand
that we are all facing, without exception, a war that is political, that
is ideological, a war that also has a cultural component and a war that
has a communications component, a media component. And it is the
concept of an unconventional war, a fourth-generation war that combines
all these elements and others.<br>Why is it an ideological war? Because they are trying to impose the hegemonic thinking of the world's leading imperialist power.<br>Why
is it a cultural war? Because in order for that power to prevail
globally, they have to break the ties with the cultural roots of the
peoples. They have to do everything possible to make peoples see their
culture and history as obsolete. I am talking about culture in the
broadest possible sense, so that people renounce their identity, so that
people are ashamed of their history, so that they can then assimilate
and have imposed on them the paradigms and patterns of that hegemonic
philosophy, of that imperial philosophy.<br>And it is a media war,
because you have seen that all the phases of the aggression against
Venezuela were designed first, and the cross-cutting factor was always
the way in which public opinion was managed, the way in which
international public opinion was manipulated, the way in which the media
acted, the way in which social networks acted. A very important
psychological war is being waged against Cuba today, with pressure to
fracture unity, to create mistrust, to promote uncertainty, and these
are elements that demonstrate the perversity.<br>So I think the first
thing that the peoples, the governments, the countries, the nations, the
Global South have to understand is this: they have to understand what
is at stake, what are the scenarios in which this dispute is taking
place, what are they offering us as a future from this brutal present,
and then seek articulation, seek unity.</p>
<p><img src="http://en.granma.cu/file/img/2026/02/medium/f0040188.jpg" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" width="494" height="521" style="margin-right: 25px;"></p>
<span>How can a country that has been a victim of terrorism by the very person who is accusing us talk about terrorism in Cuba? </span> <strong>Photo: </strong><span>José Manuel Correa</span>
<p>Seek unity that cannot be just rhetoric, that must also be unity in
action, in constant denunciation, in seeking all possible integration
into blocs or fronts defending ideas, also seeking economic, commercial,
cooperative, and collaborative actions that defend multilateralism.<br>I
believe that there are blocs that are currently taking the lead in this
regard, such as the BRICS, which offers different perspectives for the
Global South; China's own relations, and those of powers such as China
and Russia, with the countries of the South are different; the Eurasian
Union and other blocs; the Non-Aligned Movement has to play a
fundamental role in this, the Group of 77. It is about achieving an
anti-hegemonic mobilization with a characteristic that must distinguish
us because it is in the postulates of this hegemony, which is an
anti-fascist articulation.<br>They are acting like Hitler's hordes when
they attack a country, when they subjugate the world, when they kidnap a
president, or when they commit criminal acts against ships and people
in an extrajudicial manner, without any element of legality.<br>I would
not dare to say specifically what actions I think could be taken,
because that would compromise others too much, but there are ways, I am
sure there are ways. The thing is that in order to take those paths and
achieve that integration, all of us in the Global South must show
courage and bravery.<br>Esther L. González (Canal Caribe). Greetings, President, to you and everyone joining us.<br>President,
on several occasions you have referred to the opportunity, as well as
the willingness, to engage in dialogue with the United States. I would
like to know specifically if you would be willing to talk with the
United States, under what principles you would do so, and what the
points on that agenda would be.<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel.- It must be
said that in the history of relations between Cuba and the United States
after the triumph of the Revolution, which have been characterized by
an asymmetry that we all know, and above all, that asymmetry is marked
by the imposition of an economic, commercial, and financial blockade for
so many years, sustained and intensified at the present time, there has
always been a group of people within the United States and also at the
international level, a group of organizations that have always been
promoting routes, bridges, spaces for dialogue, or channels of
communication, and many times this has been achieved, and when it has
been achieved, it has allowed us to speak as equals on issues on which
we may even share different views, but which are issues that we must
address together because we are in the same geographical area, we are
very close neighbors. There are migration issues, security issues,
issues related to the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism, and
environmental issues that also have to do with all the seas and
everything around the Gulf of Mexico, the ocean currents. But there are
also other issues that have to do with scientific collaboration and
academic exchanges. There is a long list of issues that can be
addressed. And there has always been a historical position of Cuba, a
position that was defined and defended by Commander-in-Chief Fidel
Castro, continued by Army General Raúl, and which, in my view, is
unalterable and unchanging at the present time. Cuba is open to dialogue
with the United States on any of the issues that they wish to discuss
or debate.<br>Under what conditions? Without pressure, because dialogue
is not possible under pressure; without preconditions; on an equal
footing; in a position of respect for our sovereignty, our independence,
our self-determination; without addressing issues that are hurtful and
that we may understand as interference in our internal affairs, and that
from such a dialogue a civilized relationship between neighbors can be
built, which could bring mutual benefit to our peoples, to the peoples
of both nations.<br>Cubans do not hate the American people; we recognize
the values of the American people, the values of their history, the
values of their culture.<br>When we have had the opportunity for our
peoples to meet in different sectors, in the scientific sector, in the
sports sector, in the religious sector, in the cultural sector, in the
health sector, and even in political dialogues, we have found that there
are many things we can work on together, without prejudice, that can
contribute a great deal.<br>Seen from another perspective, how many
things are we depriving both peoples of because of this decadent policy,
this arrogant policy, this criminal policy of blockade and the
persistence of that blockade, to the point of having intensified it at
the present time and continuing to intensify it, continuing to tighten
the screws of that blockade. And the agenda could be about all these
issues we have discussed.<br>That is our position. It is also a position of continuity, and I believe it is possible.<br>Arleen Rodríguez: Thank you, President.</p>
<p><img src="http://en.granma.cu/file/img/2026/02/medium/f0040189.jpg" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" width="521" height="324" style="margin-right: 25px;"></p>
<span>It is urgent to </span> <strong>Photo: </strong><span>Ricardo López Hevia</span>
<p>Raciel Guanche, from the newspaper Juventud Rebelde, has asked to speak.<br>Raciel
Guanche (Juventud Rebelde).\u2014 Following the official statement recently
published on the stages and approval of plans and measures for the
transition to a state of war, there was also concern among the
population. And we wanted to know at what stage of defense preparations
the country is today.<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel.- Okay. <br>I think there
may undoubtedly be concern among the population, but I think there is
less concern because the population is participating in this. The
concern is on the part of others, of that swarm of annexationists we
have out there, of those who are beginning to falter, of those who are
beginning to show themselves to be cowards or weak in the face of the
pressure and psychological warfare they are waging against us, in the
face of announcements of possible military aggression or of continuing
to tighten the blockade against Cuba with the consequences that this may
have for our people.<br>The reality is that Cuba is a peaceful country.
Our country's defense doctrine or military doctrine is based on the
concept of the War of the Whole People, which is a concept of defending
the sovereignty and independence of the country. It does not
contemplate, at any time, in any section, in any concept, aggression
against another country. We are not a threat to the United States.<br>Now,
the one who is constantly talking about aggression, and above all has
raised the insulting rhetoric about possible aggression against Cuba, is
the United States government at this time.<br>We revolutionaries know
what it means to defend a revolution, and that the revolution, as Fidel
has explained, as Raúl has explained, a revolution that does not know
how to defend itself and does not strengthen its defense is very
unlikely to survive certain circumstances. And it is our sovereign duty
in the face of the danger of aggression to prepare ourselves for
defense.<br>Therefore, when we analyzed everything that was happening:
the events of January 3 in Venezuela, the implications for Latin America
and the Caribbean, the threats in the region and the threats to Cuba,
one of the priorities we established was to deploy a defense
preparedness plan in the interest of the War of the Whole People, which
includes the preparation of our country's territorial defense system in
all its links, from the defense zone, the municipality, the province, to
the National Defense Council; the regular units of the FAR and the
Minint; the production and defense brigades; the Territorial Troop
Militias, and also the structures in the defense zones and special
groups, in order to raise our levels of defense preparedness. This is
legitimate and is even contemplated in our Constitution.<br>We have
declared Saturdays to be national defense days, and so, gradually and
systematically, all components of our territorial defense system are
preparing. We are participating in that preparation.<br>At this time,
there have been two preparatory activities by the National Defense
Council. One in which we updated all the plans to deal with an
aggression by the working bodies of the National Defense Council; we
updated them, we included details that have to do with the experiences
we have gained from recent international conflicts.<br>In another
meeting of the National Defense Council, we updated the Plan for the
Transition to a State of War, if necessary. And that was published,
because we are not hiding it, we are not hiding it!<br>The note from the
Defense Council that was published said exactly this: "In compliance
with the activities planned for Defense Day and with the aim of
increasing and improving the level of preparedness and cohesion of the
leadership and personnel, the National Defense Council met this Saturday
to analyze and approve the plans and measures for the transition to a
state of war, as part of the country's preparation under the strategic
concept of the War of the Whole People." It is not saying that we are
entering a state of war; it is saying that we are preparing for the
possibility of entering a state of war at some point.<br>Therefore, this
is the reality, and everything else is manipulation, which was
immediately taken up by the entire system of media intoxication that
exists to defend the interests of the United States government.<br>And
our people are participating. I have visited military units where we
have conducted exercises, I have spent time with university students who
have also been involved in defense tasks in municipal defense zones,
and we will continue to participate systematically in this type of
activity.<br>Arleen Rodríguez: Let's move on to the news agencies.<br>I
wanted to add some additional information that I did not give you
earlier, which is that of the media outlets that requested this
appearance, the representatives of the foreign media are here, and we
have already heard from them. Television, as is logical, had also
requested space, and here are the news agencies Prensa Latina, Jorge
Legañoa, its president, and Norland Rosendo, the director of the Cuban
News Agency, who is getting ready.<br>Jorge Legañoa (Latin American News Agency Prensa Latina). Greetings, President.<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel. Greetings, a hug.<br>Jorge
Legañoa. First of all, thank you for this opportunity to bring up
questions that our people are asking and that we have also received.<br>I
would like to return for a moment to last week's Executive Order,
because it is interesting how the issue of national emergency is
invoked, which is not the first time it has been invoked. I would like
to ask you several related questions and I would ask you to answer them
one by one.<br>Are we a country that sponsors international terrorism? This is a recurring question, and I think it is important to ask it.<br>The
U.S. narrative speaks of protecting terrorists in our country. Do we
protect terrorists in Cuba? Related to this, are there military or
intelligence forces from other nations on Cuban soil? Or are there
ongoing talks with some nations, some countries, to install intelligence
bases in Cuba or military bases in Cuba, beyond the one that has
historically existed?<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel: You are asking me a
question that you have answered thousands of times and that we have seen
you speak about on these issues; but, as you said, it is a current
issue and it is also an issue that is on the public agenda for debate in
our country.<br>When we review the history of the Cuban Revolution, we
can see how systematically, intensely, and perversely the United States
government has acted to promote terrorist acts against the Revolution.<br>There
are more than 600 known attempts on the life of our Commander-in-Chief,
a whole series of historical acts of terrorism. To recall some of those
that took place in the provinces I led: Boca de Samá, in Holguín; the
fight against bandits in the Escambray, in Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, and
Sancti Spíritus, who executed and murdered peasants and revolutionaries,
including a young man like Manuel Ascunce, who was teaching peasants to
read and write so that they could have the light of knowledge.<br>It
must be said that something common to all these events, to all these
expressions of terrorism, is that they have been organized, financed,
and supported by successive U.S. administrations.<br>One of the most
memorable events in the country, because of its connotation and the
stirring words of our Commander in Chief on that occasion, was the crime
against the Barbados plane, in which 73 people perished.<br>During a
visit we made to the Caribbean a few years ago, we had the opportunity
to pay tribute to those who died in that crime, sharing with one of the
children of one of the victims of the attack on the Cubana de Aviación
plane, with Tin Cremata, the director of La Colmenita. I remember that
meeting in that place, one afternoon, in the presence of the Prime
Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, was very emotional and heartfelt for
the Cubans who were there, and in particular for Tin, who also recounted
in his words all the pain he suffered as a child alongside his family
due to the loss of his father.<br>I would tell you more, but today we
know of plans for terrorist acts that are being supported, financed, and
prepared in the United States to attack Cuba at a time like this, and
when the time comes, we will provide the information and make the
denunciation that it deserves.<br>How can you talk about terrorism in
Cuba, a country that has been the victim of terrorism by the very person
who is accusing us? It is brazen, it is immoral, it is manipulation, it
is a lie, it is slander; but we have very recent facts, and we have
seen the dishonesty with which the US governments have shifted the focus
of terrorism by blaming Cuba. <br>Let us remember that, just a few days
before the US presidential handover, the current US president included
us on the list of countries that allegedly support terrorism, and we all
know that this is one of the actions that has most contributed to the
intensification of the blockade in recent times, because of the damage
it causes us from a financial point of view and in terms of the ability
of a whole group of entities and companies to work with Cuba, and
because it is a totally coercive measure and a means of exerting
pressure on others. And they labeled us, defined us, classified us, and
included us on that spurious list without any evidence.</p>
<p><img src="http://en.granma.cu/file/img/2026/02/medium/f0040190.jpg" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" width="521" height="357" style="margin-right: 25px;"></p>
<span>Increasing the extraction of crude oil and associated gas would reduce dependence on imports. </span> <strong>Photo: </strong><span>Ricardo López Hevia</span>
<p>Biden maintained that position during his term in office, and in the
last days of his term he removed us from the list of countries that
allegedly support terrorism; therefore, he was acknowledging that there
was no evidence to include us on that list. Then Trump returned to the
presidency and within a few days he put us back on the list. <br>Does
the list really reflect a fair assessment, an assessment based on
evidence that a country is a terrorist state, or is it also a political
manipulation that serves the interests of the US administrations?<br>Cuba
is not a terrorist country. Cuba is also not a threat to the security
of the United States. Cuba has never carried out, proposed, or armed any
aggressive action that endangers the territorial integrity, security,
or stability of the United States government.<br>We do not protect
terrorists. There are no military forces from other nations or other
groups in Cuba. There are no military bases from other countries in
Cuba. We have military cooperation and military cooperation agreements
with friendly countries, with allies, but that does not mean that there
are military bases in Cuba.<br>In Cuba, as Legañoa said, there is a
military base, an illegal military base, and whose is it? It is an
illegal US base on the soil of the Cuban province of Guantanamo, against
the will of the Cuban people.<br>Who are the ones with military bases
all over the world? Who are known for supporting state terrorism around
the world? Or was the aggression against Venezuela and the kidnapping of
a president not an act of state terrorism? Or is the United States'
support for the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza not an act of
terrorism? Or is shooting and sinking boats and ships carrying people
who have not been proven to be linked to drug trafficking in an
extrajudicial manner, without any investigation or evidence, not an act
of terrorism?<br>So, where does the truth lie in this world? Which is
the main state in the world that is a danger to world security, to world
peace? The United States. That is my view on this issue, Legañoa.<br>Norland Rosendo (Cuban News Agency). Greetings, President.<br>President,
the current situation in Cuba is very complex in terms of electricity
generation due to problems accessing international fuels, now
exacerbated by the Executive Order that threatens to further impede our
access to them.<br>Cuba has proposed on several occasions, in various
national forums, a long-term strategy to change the country's energy
matrix, with the goal of reaching approximately 100 percent renewable
energy sources by 2050. <br>In light of current events, has there been
any update to that strategy? If so, what are the elements that support
it and what will the priorities be?<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel: That is a
very interesting question, and I think it has a lot to do with what
people are concerned about, with what people want to know.<br>We have
dedicated the month of January to plenary sessions, to strategies in the
territories and to national strategies, and one of the priorities has
been the country's energy program, which covers electricity and other
energy issues related to fuel and fuel use, and we have updated that
strategy. The thing is that, as you yourself point out, a strategy had
already been in place for approximately two years, with the fundamental
objective of energy transition, that is, moving towards renewable energy
sources and becoming more independent from the use of fossil fuels.<br>The
way in which a series of coercive measures by the United States
government, in the midst of this situation, has been aimed at blocking
the country's energy supply, confirms the importance of maintaining this
priority in the country's energy transition towards renewable energy
sources. <br>Perhaps in order to answer your question, I need to talk
about the results we achieved from the implementation of this strategy
last year and what the ratification and updating of this strategy
consists of at the present time, in light of recent events.<br>The
situation was so complex last year that the modest results, so to speak,
although one of them is not modest at all, and I will explain why, did
not allow us to see the magnitude of the impact of what was achieved
last year, which was one of the years in which we faced the most
harassment, had the least financial resources, and had the least fuel. <br>Last
year, we recovered more than 900 megawatts in the country's distributed
generation source. Why has this impact not been seen? Because it has
coincided with an increase in generation capacity or the recovery of
distributed generation capacity, but we have not had, for all the
reasons we know, the fuel for that... <br>For example, we have been at
zero distributed generation for four weeks, meaning that we cannot use
more than 1,300 or 1,400 megawatts of installed power in distributed
generation during peak hours to compensate for deficits. Do the math
yourselves: if during peak hours we have been moving between 1,600,
1,800, and 1,900 megawatts of deficit in these first days of the year,
in the first month and so far in February, sometimes reaching 2,000; if
we had had 1,200, 1,300, 1,400 megawatts of distributed generation
incorporated and operating during those hours, the peak would have been
minimized to 500 or 400 at a very particular moment of the peak, and we
would have been able to close most nights after the peak and in the
early morning hours. But it was a result that we have not been able to
take full advantage of due to fuel problems, but it is there, it is
there!<br>We also recovered thermal generation capacities, which has to
do with the entire process that has been enhanced in terms of repair and
maintenance of the country's main thermoelectric power plants. The
impact has not been seen because we have had deficits, very large
deficits. But note that we have maintained a deficit, for example, at
the peak we are talking about, with only the thermoelectric plants
operating during that peak period, without distributed generation. The
peak deficits have remained more or less the same as at other times when
we could have had a portion of distributed generation, but we did not
have what we had recovered in thermal generation, and that has also
prevented the impact from being seen.<br>And the third area we are
working on, and where I believe there is a notable result, which may not
be perceived either, is in the investments we made in renewable energy
sources during that very bad year in terms of the economic and financial
situation. <br>Last year, we made an investment and installed more than
1,000 megawatts of electricity generation with photovoltaic parks: we
installed around 49 photovoltaic parks in the country. Therefore,
before 2025, the penetration, or let's say, the percentage contributed
by renewable energy sources in the country's electricity generation was
only 3%, and with that investment in that year, in a single year, we
jumped from 3% to 10% of generation, which means we grew by 7%.<br>And
you may ask me, or the population may ask, where is that energy? Well,
imagine that if during the day we have not had distributed generation
and if during the day we have only been able to rely on thermoelectric
plants, some of which are under repair or maintenance, why have we not
had the peak deficits during the day that we have at night? Well,
simply because those 1,000 megawatts of photovoltaic parks are
generating, on average, daily, during the hours of the day when they are
operating, 38% of the energy that the country consumes at those times,
and they have been able to maintain a controllable, manageable level of
deficit during the day. <br>Let's look at it another way. If we hadn't
had those 1,000 megawatts that day, we would have had less than 1,000
megawatts of generation, we would have been generating around nine
hundred and something megawatts that day; and an electrical energy
system like ours, with 900 megawatts of generation, with more than
1,200, 1,300 megawatts of sustained deficit during the day... because,
you see, today we have a difference in the deficit between day and
night. If we hadn't had those photovoltaic parks, the deficit we have
today at night would have been throughout the day. What would have
happened? The country would have been living systematically from
blackout to blackout. In other words, the system would have been
constantly unstable, there would have been a total blackout, we would
have recovered, and in two or three days we would have returned to
instability, and that did not happen.<br>Now, Arleen asked me the other
day, why is there a perception, especially in Havana, that blackouts
have increased during the day? There are times when they have increased,
and there are times when more problems converge, such as fuel
shortages, breakdowns, and weaker sunlight, which complicate things for
us.<br>When you analyze the deficits we have had during the day, before
January and in January and February, the deficits during the day are
more or less the same. The thing is that until 2025 we worked with the
concept of prioritizing daytime electricity generation for the
population, but we had the economy at a standstill, we had industries,
agricultural activities, and irrigation at a standstill; we had the main
factories, the main export centers, and the main centers of production
of goods for the population at a standstill. <br>Also, making a
realistic analysis of the country's conditions, we said: we have to put a
little energy into the economy during the day this year. Knowing that
it is at the expense of affecting the population, but the fact is that
the population also receives what we produce in the economy, and if the
economy does not produce, then we complicate things further and the
impact of energy problems is greater in the lives of Cubans. <br>So,
with that concept, the deficit has remained the same, we have been able
to sustain it from that investment, but we are dedicating part of that
energy to the economy, and thus we have managed to prioritize electrical
irrigation during the day; the irrigation, for example, of the hectares
of rice we are planting, because this year we want to achieve 200,000
hectares of rice, which would mean a production with which we would
begin to cover around 30% to 40% of the rice we consume in the regulated
basket and which is currently imported, and it would be a first step
towards achieving self-sufficiency in rice with domestic production in
two or three years and not having to import rice into the country.<br>We
have been able to energize a group of entities that generate exports;
we have been able to energize entities that substitute imports; we have
been able to give the energy needed by tobacco, which is a very
important export item today, for irrigation and for the investments that
have been made. <br>Now, since all provinces had to make adjustments to
balance this out across the country, where is this felt most? In
Havana, the capital, because it had the greatest capacity to give up a
portion, to ask for a portion of that energy in order to boost the
economy. And that is why there may be\u2014there is, in fact\u2014a perception
that there is a greater deficit. Not a deficit, what happens is that
there is more of a deficit among the population because we have
prioritized the economy.<br>I say, are we wrong in that concept, or is
it also a way to be able to devote part of all that investment effort to
advancing the economy? And we have been working with that concept. <br>So,
up to this point, I have talked to you about last year's results and
what they have meant for the current electricity situation. <br>Now,
what we have proposed, not only for electricity, but as a concept for
the country's energy situation, because of these pressures, of this
situation we are experiencing, and I do so from a non-idealistic
approach, I do so from a rational, optimistic, but also realistic
approach, we must take advantage of this as an opportunity and finally
understand that the country must be able to sustain itself energetically
with the energy sources we have: with our heavy national crude oil;
with renewable energy sources: we have air, we have water, we have sun,
we have biomass, we can generate biogas, and then apply that concept to
electricity generation. And that is a concept that updates what we are
proposing in the energy plan, particularly in relation to electricity.<br>Of
course, it is not achieved exactly, but imagine if we had not had the
1,000 megawatts. If we had 1,000 megawatts last year and we aspire to
have a figure close to that this year, then we would already be reaching
levels above 15% or close to 20% of electricity generation from
renewable sources. And the country's 2030 Economic and Social Model
proposed reaching 25% by 2030; we would be reaching that before 2030.<br>Now,
what are we doing, what other actions are being considered in this
updated program? The continuity of the program and the maintenance of
thermoelectric power plants, because we cannot immediately do without
the thermoelectric base, because, in addition, in that thermoelectric
base we can generate with national crude oil, without dependence on fuel
imports.<br>Continue the program to increase renewable energy sources.
By the end of February, we will have 98 megawatts more in installed
photovoltaic parks; by the end of March, we will have added 58 megawatts
more, and so we will continue every month of the year, adding more
megawatts as we did last year. <br>We are making investments that not
only increase generation from renewable energy sources, but also include
renewable energy sources with storage. By moving towards renewable
energy sources with storage, we are ensuring stability in the frequency
of the system and, on the other hand, we are creating the capacity to
use the photovoltaic energy stored during the day to generate power at
night, which makes us totally independent from the use of fossil fuels. <br>We
are installing 5,000 photovoltaic systems, let's say, domestic, family
systems, in homes, each with a capacity of 2 kilowatts, in homes that
were not electrified because they were isolated and where bringing
electricity would require a tremendous investment in cables,
transformers, and poles in places that are difficult to access. When we
achieve this, we will have completed the electrification of 100 percent
of the country, that is, the possibility of everyone having
electricity. The rest depends on what we generate, but those homes that
did not have electricity will begin to have stable electricity because
they also have storage and will be able to enjoy what they have never
been able to enjoy before.<br>And we have enough for the homes we were
missing and also for a group of homes that were on systems where the
energy supplied to them was only available for a few hours a day because
they depended on fuel plants, power plants, or hydroelectric plants
that depended on the water flow available or on certain very poor
connections. Therefore, we are improving 5,000 homes in this regard.<br>On
the other hand, we are already installing 5,000 more photovoltaic
modules in vital centers to provide services to the population. Look,
we are doing all this in the midst of these circumstances, in the midst
of this moment, and it contributes to that energy transition.<br>For
example, 161 maternal homes in the country will benefit from these
modules. The power may go out in those places, but the maternal homes
will have energy. Modules of this type have been installed for
children\u2014referred to as dependent children\u2014who have illnesses that
require them to have energy in their homes all day long. Last year, we
installed them for 161 children, and this year we are going to install
them for 121 more.<br>I mentioned 161 maternity homes; 156 nursing
homes; 305 homes for the elderly; 556 polyclinics, where at least the
emergency room and a significant part of the facility will have these
systems; 336 bank branches. You know that one of the problems the
population faces today when there is a blackout is that they cannot
carry out banking transactions, and the economy does not function from a
financial point of view either. This solves that problem; 349
commercial offices of the UNE and other agencies where people have to
carry out procedures. <br>Here we have talked about nursing homes,
polyclinics, and branches. All of this is spread across the 168
municipalities of our country. In other words, we are going with that
concept and we are not stopping there; we aspire to more.<br>Now, there
are 10,000 more photovoltaic systems. Look, we have talked about 5,000
and 5,000, which is 10,000. That is already 10,000 homes or 10,000
institutions that do not need to connect to the national power grid.<br>There
are 10,000 photovoltaic systems that are being delivered on a priority
basis to people who work in the education and health systems: doctors,
teachers, professors, health workers, education workers, higher
education workers, which are two sectors that contribute a lot to
society, which are two sectors where people work in very complex
conditions. With payment facilities, with loans, long-term payments.
That's 10,000 more people, or 10,000 more homes, which is multiplied by
three or four family members who benefit from this.<br>We have proposed
incentives for people who buy systems and want to cogenerate and
contribute to the national electricity system, or who want to cogenerate
and contribute to a community or a block or a group of homes.<br>We
have also created incentives so that in terms of tariffs, prices, and
payment methods, anyone who can purchase a domestic photovoltaic system
to install in their home can do so in the most viable and expeditious
way possible.<br>This year, we also plan to recover wind power
generation and transmission capacities in some of the wind farms we
already have in the country, but which were experiencing certain
technical problems, and there are new investments in wind power being
developed, especially in the La Herradura area in Las Tunas. <br>This is
a whole group of actions that are included in this program, which is
being updated and which shows us the path we want to take and the road
we want to travel.<br>And here, as I explained just now, there is
another group of things that are being done, of aid that we are going to
receive, of projects that are being managed, which, as we get
responses, will enable us to expand everything we have planned.<br>Now,
last year the country acquired training capacity in the forces that
build, operate, and install photovoltaic park technology. When we
started the first parks, it took us about three months to build them,
but we were able to build the last parks in 45 days. In other words, we
now have trained personnel to continue these investments in Cuba, and
even to provide services to other countries that need collaboration in
this area.<br>New technologies have been incorporated, technology
transfers have been made, and developments are underway. A group of
scientists, led primarily by Dr. Lídice from the University of Havana,
has been closely monitoring how these investments should be made,
meaning that this entire program has had a focus on science and
innovation. It was a topic that was brought up and discussed at the
National Innovation Council last year, and today it is a reality, and it
has had the impact and effect that I have explained to you.<br>Did I miss anything regarding electricity?<br>Arleen Rodríguez: Oscarito had passed us a note asking us to talk about that topic, but in another dimension. <br>Oscar Figueredo, from Cubadebate.<br>Oscar Figueredo (Cubadebate and IDEAS Multimedios): Greetings, President.<br>You
referred to the large investments that have been made in energy,
despite the current situation in the country, and there is one important
element that was confirmed, which is the need to continue exploiting
the internal sources we have, namely oil. Some were skeptical because
they said: Cuban oil is useless, it is too heavy. <br>I believe that
right now the need for our own thermoelectric plants to use this fuel is
being confirmed. Do you think that under these conditions we can
continue to increase the exploitation of this natural resource and also
of the accompanying gas?<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel.- I agree.<br>This
question allows me to respond and then complement the energy approach,
that is, what we are doing energetically, what we propose to do to
address the current situation. I always point out that we have all this
that is achievable, but that it cannot be resolved overnight.<br>Now,
before I answer, what I do want to say is that we currently have a
complex energy situation from a fuel perspective. Remember that the
naval blockade of Venezuela began in December, so since then, this
country has not been receiving fuel.<br>Therefore, today we have
problems with the availability of fuel to guarantee not only electricity
generation, but also basic activities, especially those that directly
affect the population. That is why the Council of Ministers met today,
to complement these government directives to address the acute fuel
shortage.<br>And here we have taken as a reference the instructions of
the Commander-in-Chief for the Special Period. Do you remember the
directives of the Commander-in-Chief for the Special Period, what we
call Option Zero? They are also included, updated, because there are
other different situations in these directives.<br>I am going to give,
let's say, a general overview based on the question you asked me, but in
the coming days, based on the discussion we began in the Council of
Ministers and on what has been worked on, a group of deputy prime
ministers and ministers will inform the population in more detail about
the content of all these measures, and the population, I believe that in
a week, will have all the information about the situation and how we
are going to deal with it.<br>A second concept I want to clarify: even
if there is an energy blockade, we are not giving up on receiving fuel
in our country. That is a right we have, and we will do everything we
can, and we are doing everything we can, so that the country can once
again have fuel income and fuel supplies. So what I want to explain
with this is that you have the guarantee that the Party, the Government,
and the institutions involved in energy decisions are working to
minimize the impact on our population, our country, our economy, and our
economic and social development, under difficult conditions, because
there is an energy blockade by the United States.<br>And there is a lot
of fear, there is a lot of psychological impact on shipowners, on
shipping companies, on countries that can supply us with fuel; but we
are not giving up, that is sovereign, that is a sovereign decision of
this country. I think it is very reprehensible that a power, with the
size of the United States as a power, should adopt such an aggressive
and criminal policy towards a small nation.<br>Because what does it mean
to not allow a drop of fuel to reach a country? It means affecting food
transportation, food production, public transportation, the functioning
of hospitals, institutions of all kinds, schools, economic production,
and tourism.<br>How do we keep children in school without fuel? How do
our vital systems function without fuel? How do we distribute food? How
do we plant? How do we plow? How do we prepare the land? How do we
harvest the crops? How do we get around?<br>Therefore, we are going to
take measures that, although they will not be permanent, will have to
take into account the availability of fuel at any given time; these will
be measures that will require effort. I know that people will say: But
sacrifice again? Well, if we don't sacrifice ourselves and if we don't
resist, what are we going to do, give up?<br>We have shared that
surrender is not an option for Cuba. There is much to defend, there are
many dignified Cubans who gave their lives for this country, for the
independence of this country throughout history. And the most recent are
the 32 comrades who fell in Venezuela, whose death outraged our people,
and that wound is still there, that wound has not healed.<br>And why
did they act that way? Because they had conviction; they knew what they
were defending. It wasn't just a president, it wasn't just a sister
nation; it was dignity, it was sovereignty, it was Cuba, it was the
Revolution, it was Latin America and the Caribbean, it is the Global
South. And they did it the only way they could, with an attitude
consistent with a moment like that: with courage, with bravery, there is
no other way to describe it. And tomorrow, when we can tell the whole
story, we will see the true contribution of the attitude of those 32
Cubans, and what they mean as a lesson for those who are hot-headed with
their threats and attempts to attack Cuba.<br>What right does a nation
have to prevent fuel from reaching another country? With this, they are
not only acting against Cuba and the Cuban people, but they are also
preventing many others from having normal trade relations with Cuba,
harming many companies and entities. Isn't this a violation of
international law and the United Nations Charter? Does this not go
against the free trade that capitalism and imperialism defend?<br>Furthermore,
who do they think they are to impose this on us? Can anyone in the
world celebrate this, that they do this to a country? Is there any hint
of humanism, decency, sensitivity, or decorum in someone who acts like
this? This is completely suffocating us.<br>And so that they don't
suffocate us, there is a strategy, there is a program that we have also
updated, as I told you, in recent days. And there are new measures that
we were looking at today in the Council of Ministers, some of which are
restrictive, but we have to adjust consumption, we have to promote
savings. There are things that we have to stop, postpone, in order to
continue functioning in the fundamental sense, and to continue weighing
up and facing this situation.<br>I know that when I talk about saving,
sometimes people see it as a bit distant and say, "But what else are you
going to save?" There is a lot that can be saved. Even those who have
more energy for more hours of the day because they are associated with
circuits that need to be protected should be more responsible in their
use of that energy that others lack.<br>I believe that by talking,
discussing, and explaining these things, we can raise awareness, and
even though some may see it as distant, we can all contribute to what we
need to face this situation.<br>So, here is a concept that I have
already raised, which is fundamental: we have to learn to live using our
energy sources, as you pointed out to me.<br>First, there are several
actions to be taken. In the midst of this situation, with all the
shortages of resources, we are increasing our fuel storage capacities.
Remember that we lost storage capacity when the Supertankers burned
down, but we are recovering that and in other parts of the country. Why?
Because, as I told you, we are not giving up on the fact that we can
have fuel, and if we create more capacity, we can have more fuel, and
one of the things we are going to promote is having more fuel on
consignment in the country. <br>There is the increase in storage capacity.<br>There
is the increase, as you rightly pointed out, in domestic crude oil
production, which I prefer to call "oil equivalent." Because, as you
said, we are increasing the extraction of crude oil and associated gas.
Remember that we use part of that gas for electricity generation, which
is a highly efficient process, as is Energas, and in recent months,
because we have had more gas available, we have increased electricity
generation with Energas.<br>Part of that associated gas is supplied to
several areas of the capital for cooking, as manufactured gas. And as
part of what we are doing and the increase in associated gas production,
this year we are going to increase the number of consumers of
manufactured gas in Havana by 20,000. It is part of that program, and we
are going to do it this year.<br>Increasing oil equivalent production
allows us to have more crude oil coverage to also operate with
electricity generation in our thermoelectric plants that can consume
that crude oil.<br>But we are also studying\u2014and in fact we bought an
engine\u2014engines that help us generate electricity or that work for other
applications, that use this Cuban crude oil. This is another of the
projects and actions we are developing.<br>And we are not stopping at
increasing the production of crude oil and associated gas. We have
already given our scientists a task, and we have been able to dust off a
group of research projects that the Petroleum Research Institute in the
country has been working on for years, to refine Cuban crude oil and
improve its quality. So, we will not only use Cuban crude oil directly
in thermoelectric power plants, but we will also refine it to obtain
derivatives such as gasoline, fuel oil, and diesel. At the end of the
year, we conducted a small test of national crude oil refining, and the
prospects are promising. <br>Look, I am explaining the strategy and the
things we can do; I repeat, none of this solves the problems overnight,
but it does provide solutions, it gives us insights, these are different
things from what we have been doing or depending on, and they give us
sovereignty.<br>We have also proposed taking advantage of energy, not
only electricity generation and renewable energy sources; solar cookers
can be made, and solar energy can also be used in wood dryers and food
dryers. The same goes for hydraulic energy, wind energy, and biomass.
But biogas transforms waste into energy, and with biogas plants you can
cook, and with biogas plants you can have lamps that run on gas and
provide lighting. There are also engines that run on biogas combustion.
By connecting an electric generator to this engine, you have a gas
generator, and with that biogas, you are generating electricity.<br>"In
order for municipalities to produce for themselves, take advantage of
their endogenous capacities, and develop their territorial and local
development strategies, they must first and foremost have robust local
production systems." Photo: José Llamos Camejo<br>The things we are
trying to do now, in the midst of this situation, must be sustainable,
and we must not forget these hard times. That is why I say, let's see
this as an opportunity to develop, to achieve sustainable development,
to become more energy sovereign, and to be less dependent. <br>There will be other measures that will have to be implemented as fuel availability evolves, for better or for worse. </p>
<p><img src="http://en.granma.cu/file/img/2026/02/medium/f0040191.jpg" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" width="521" height="293" style="margin-right: 25px;"></p>
<strong>Photo: </strong><span>Dunia Álvarez</span>
<div><p>I can also assure you, based on the expressions of support we
have received during these turbulent days, that there are many people
and entities in the world who reject pressure, who reject blackmail, who
reject and oppose the economic blockade against Cuba, and who are
willing to take risks to work with Cuba.<br>I believe that the world,
the international community, must also decide whether it will allow a
crime such as this, which is being committed today against Cuba and
could be committed against any other nation in the world, to be the
future for humanity, or whether we will truly decide that what must be
done is to lead a struggle for solidarity, for cooperation, for
sovereignty, for multilateralism, and for respect for the rights of
everyone in the world. That is something that the international
community must speak out about and define.<br>Arleen Rodríguez: President, Dilbert Reyes, editor of the Granma newspaper, is also here.<br>I want to note that the Presidency's communications team is also with us, but since they accompany you on a daily basis...<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel.- They ask me that every day.<br>Dilbert Reyes (Granma).- Greetings, President.<br>Two
questions: in conditions of extreme blockade, I believe that the word
"survive" is neither exaggerated nor pessimistic; I believe it is an
objective word that implies, first and foremost, thinking about basic
necessities of life: food, water, and essential services such as
electricity, communications, health, and education. How do you think the
country should move forward to address these priorities that are
essential for survival? <br>How urgent do you think it is to mobilize
all that local potential, which you have emphasized so many times, to
produce food there in the community, to produce consumer goods there in
the community, because we are going to have mobility limitations? Even
replicating local experiences mimically, experiences that have proven to
be successful.<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel: Inspiring, as we say.<br>Dilbert Reyes: In conditions of scarcity, they proved to be successful, that's one thing.<br>Second,
you have presided over Party plenary sessions in all provinces, and
many of these concepts have been repeated over and over again; however,
we cannot deny that there is a perception that sometimes that sense of
urgency stays in the meeting, stays in the concept, and is difficult to
translate into people's lives. How do you think the Party's leadership
style should change so that all of this, which should be urgent, yields
results and is done quickly?<br>Thank you very much.<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel.- You have been very astute in your characterization of the situation, and you are absolutely right.<br>To
answer both questions, I think I have to refer to the plenary sessions
we have just held at the provincial level and which will now continue at
the municipal level. Not because we are talking about just another
meeting, but because I believe they have been spaces for debate, but
also spaces for building consensus.<br>And it is in that building of
consensus that I believe the potential for power lies, those things we
have reiterated, truly turning them into results. Above all, because
there is now a new variable, or a variable with greater weight in the
equation of the lives of Cubans, which is the urgency of the moment, and
that we cannot waste time and that there are things we must do now or
never. I believe that this has also encouraged thinking, encouraged the
promotion and understanding of a group of ideas.<br>The provincial
plenary sessions gave us initial confirmation of this. What the
provinces presented as their strategy for this year in their programs
and plans has been far superior to anything we had addressed, even in
the conception of the National Plan. It is clear that there is a
willingness not only to resist, but also to create and overcome, and
that there are many things that are also beginning to become widespread.<br>I
think that also has to do with the fact that we have been discussing
very complex issues in very adverse situations, and where there were
ideas that now one can say: "Well, why are they going to come out now?"
Because they needed to mature, you had to believe in those things,
people had to see spaces, scenarios where many of those ideas were
successfully materialized. Also because there are people, sometimes,
and I say this with a boast of wisdom, who give you a notion that covers
only one variable in that complex equation of the lives of Cubans, and
it may even be a brilliant idea. We follow all those ideas and take
them into account; but the thing is that here all the variables are
correlated, all the variables are part of an equation, a very complex
equation, a very complex equation! So that's where you see that things
take time to achieve.<br>And so we start from the contribution made by
the 11th Plenary Session of the Party's Central Committee. I think it
was a heart-wrenching plenary session that opened up the discussion on
fundamental issues, on dissatisfactions, with a view to the emergency,
with a view to how we can respond to the population in the shortest
possible time. But it also shed light, it also shared, I would say,
concepts for ideological work, concepts for facing the economic battle,
priorities and, above all, a construction of all the things we have
proposed in this Government Program\u2014I always carry it with me,
discussing and checking\u2014which we took to a popular consultation and
which will now have a strengthened and expanded version based on the
contribution of that popular consultation, of all these things, what are
the fundamental transformations that define us today that we have to
make in the Economic and Social Model in order to advance more quickly.
I am going to talk to you about that to answer the two questions you
asked me.<br>In a situation like this, where on the one hand they want
to suffocate us economically and on the other hand there is the
possibility of military aggression, what have we defined as priorities?<br>First,
we have to improve the functioning of the Party, the Government, the
State, the institutions, the armed forces, the mass organizations, the
social organizations, and the entire system of the country. <br>To
defend ourselves against aggression and prepare for an attempted attack,
as I mentioned when you asked me about defense, we need a plan to
increase the readiness and preparedness for defense in the interest of
the war of the entire people, on the part of our entire population.<br>A
plan for political mobilization: how we constantly demonstrate, how we
constantly discuss, debate, share, and propose. I believe that an
important point in that plan for political mobilization was the funeral
honors and tribute we paid to our fallen comrades in Venezuela.<br>The
first people in the world to take to the streets en masse on January 3
to express their repudiation were the Cuban people. Remember that it was
in the early hours of January 3, at 8 a.m., that we were calling on the
people to gather at 10 a.m. at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune, and when
we arrived at the Tribune at 9:30 a.m., it was completely full. We had
to wait to begin the protest because there had not been time to set up
the event and the people were already there, and it was the same in all
the provinces. Then there was a succession of events and expressions of
support from the people in all the provinces and municipalities.<br>And
the event when the remains arrived, the March of the Fighting People,
the way the people participated and the way the people turned out in
each of the places, I think that was the high point of that political
mobilization, which must continue, in relation to Cuba and in relation
to the defense of Venezuela, in relation to the defense of Maduro and
his wife, in relation to integration, in relation to denouncing the
excesses committed by the empire against the world.<br>There is also, as
an economic response, how we can implement in the shortest possible
time the fundamental elements, the fundamental transformations contained
in the Government Program to solve the structural problems of the
economy and strengthen it.<br>The updated Energy Plan that we have
discussed on two occasions, from the point of view of electricity and
from the point of view of fuel.<br>The international coordination that
we are promoting among leftist forces and social movements, because we
must all coordinate to denounce, to find answers, to combat this
imperialist offensive.<br>And there is, and this is one of the things
that sometimes causes us the most dissatisfaction, the way in which we
have to develop political communication, social communication,
institutional communication that has to respond to wartime
communication, crisis communication, communication that confronts this
imperial media offensive that is poisoning all communication spaces in
the world, that is trying to assassinate the reputations of peoples,
leaders, individuals, that is trying to throw a smokescreen around what
is happening, that tries to justify everything the empire proposes.<br>Remember
that they are not talking about the kidnapping of a president, they are
talking about a capture. Everything is ambiguous. Or "extraction,"
which is also a reprehensible term. Who gives you the right to extract
the president of one country and take him to another? Full of lies,
slander, hatred, promoting divisions, promoting confusion, it is not
decent, it is vulgar, it is vulgar!<br>Associated with these priorities,
then, is a group of concepts, especially for the work of the Party,
which they asked me about: how to improve the work of the Party. A
first concept, which is basic, and although we repeat it, it is
necessary, is unity, which gives us strength. And in the Plenary
Session, I made some comments, first, based on the concepts of unity and
the calls that the Commander-in-Chief and the Army General have made at
different moments of the Revolution, but also proposing two essential
elements or components of unity: We are going to discuss vigorously and
we are going to march together.<br>Discuss in order to improve, be
critical, debate, contribute. That does not divide, it unites,
especially if afterwards, based on those reflections, those
contributions to the discussion, we march together, we defend everything
together. Now, when there is apathy, when someone keeps quiet about
what they think, when someone is not honest or sincere, that does create
fragmentation in unity.<br>The other element of unity is participation.
When we all participate, when we all share, when we all fight, when we
all achieve results and victories, there is more identity, more
commitment, more self-esteem, and more strength in everything we do. <br>There
is the connection with the population. We have to be working. I always
tell my colleagues in the Party: the best time you can spend is with the
people, with the collectives in the settings where the main
ideological, economic, or social events are taking place. Because when
you spend more time at the grassroots level or in direct contact, when
you go to meetings where decisions are made, you go with a vision and
knowledge of what is happening there, of the obstacles, the problems,
the aspirations, and the criteria of the people. Then, when you
contribute to the decision, the decision will be more realistic, it will
be more in line with the needs and aspirations, and we have to
cultivate that.<br>When we talk about connection, which people often
confuse with visiting, connection is not just visiting, it is about
transforming, it is about acting; it is not about "clocking in," as they
say colloquially. It's not that I can say I went to every municipality
in the country; yes, you went to every municipality in the country, but
what happened in each municipality when you went, what did I help to
promote, what did I explain, what did I argue, what did I clarify, or
what idea did I take away as a contributor so that I could multiply it?
That is another element that was worked on at the 11th Plenary Session
and that we have discussed so that it can also be implemented in
provincial and municipal strategies.<br>Democracy in the Party, and Army
General Raúl has spoken about this several times. If, for historical
reasons, we are the only Party that is constitutionally recognized, we
are not only the Party of the communist militants of Cuba, we are the
Party of the Cuban nation. So, I say that the most natural moment of
the Party's work, which is the meeting of the grassroots organization,
cannot be just a meeting of militants; we must call on young people, we
must call on non-militant workers to also contribute, to discuss the
problems with us, to support us in finding solutions.<br>In the history
of the Revolution, we know how to do this very well and defend it very
well for the big things. An issue as complicated as approving the Family
Code, due to the prejudices that existed because of the diversity of
opinion, was taken to two democratic exercises of popular participation:
a popular consultation and a referendum. We did the same with the
Constitution. We did the same thing now, in a popular consultation to
enrich the Government Program for the economy. But in everyday life, in
what needs to be done on a daily basis, sometimes we don't do that, and
we don't succeed.<br>Popular participation and control. Everything must
have an outlet for participation. Everything we set out to do must be
supported by the work and participation of everyone, especially young
people. And as part of that popular participation, there must be popular
control by the population in everything we do. That also involves
control and accountability. <br>You know that I have always defended
three pillars for the work of the Party and the Government, which are
political, social, and institutional communication; digital
transformation and the application of artificial intelligence in all our
processes; and science and innovation to seek solutions to the problems
we face from a scientific perspective.<br>First, the problems are so
complex that they cannot be solved with a single alternative, and Fidel
always taught us that we had to work with many alternatives for the same
problem. Science provides us with solutions, and when we apply them and
achieve results, they are in innovation. That is another thing we have
to promote.<br>Tackling corruption is extremely important in order to support all processes.<br>So,
answering the second question, what do we need to work on more quickly
and make decisions and announce decisions more quickly in order to
achieve results with the urgency that is needed at this time? That is
what I call the necessary transformations at this time.<br>There is
quite a consensus on this, and when we analyze the debate that took
place for the Government Program, it coincides very much with the
proposals that had the most weight among the population.<br>First, we
must move toward a refinement, an updating of the economic management
system, where there is an adequate relationship between centralization
and decentralization, and an adequate relationship between what needs to
be seen from the planning perspective and what needs to be addressed
with certain market signals. This is a principle that defends socialist
construction in our conditions, since in some of these areas, decisions
have been made that will evolve systematically and gradually, such as a
new system for allocating foreign currency for economic activity.<br>A
second necessary transformation is the restructuring that we have to
carry out of the entire state apparatus, of the government, of the
Party, and of institutions. We are a small country with an aging
population, with a population that is experiencing negative growth in
its demographic dynamics, and we have a number of institutions that
duplicate functions, a number of people in the non-productive sphere
that need to be restructured. In addition, we need to reduce state
budget expenditures in all these areas and become more efficient in
management processes, budgeting processes, and planning processes.
Progress has already been made in this area, but it is a necessary
transformation.<br>We have to move towards definitive autonomy for
state-owned companies. We have also been working on this; in the first
weeks of January, we discussed the issue and there are quite a few
definitions. Now, we are going to play with true state autonomy for
companies.<br>First, companies have been given a set of powers that not
all of them are taking advantage of yet, and we see this being
implemented at different levels; but when I give you full business
autonomy, don't expect to have autonomy for some things and for me to
have to provide you with raw materials and fuels from the Central Fund
or from central planning.<br>The country, centralization, whatever needs
to be decentralized in planning is for priorities. The other thing is
that a company that has autonomy has to export, has to seek foreign
exchange earnings and buy the fuel it needs, buy inputs and buy raw
materials. In fact, we are approving schemes for state and non-state
entities that export, that produce for import substitution, that are
creating mechanisms in this regard. Always with the concept that what
they do is to reproduce widely and contribute more and more to the needs
of the country and more and more to what they serve, to their social
mission and to the development of their production and services.<br>This
autonomy of state-owned enterprises must be accompanied by a resizing
and restructuring of state-owned enterprises, especially at the
municipal level, because the other important transformation that we are
going to promote and that we have already been working on in recent days
is the autonomy of municipalities. Autonomy does not break with unity
in socialist construction, nor is it a lack of discipline in planning
and in the interests of the state. What autonomy guarantees is that the
municipality is closer and has the autonomy and powers to solve the
problems that are closest to the citizens in their municipality.<br>I
say that we cannot aspire for the country to develop and then for the
provinces and municipalities to develop based on the country's
development; that is absurd. We have to ensure that the municipality
develops, and if the municipalities develop, the provinces develop, and
if the provinces develop, the country develops.<br>Why did I mention
that the autonomy of state-owned enterprises is closely linked to the
powers of municipalities? Because in order for municipalities to produce
for themselves, take advantage of their endogenous capacities, and
develop their territorial and local development strategies, they must
first and foremost have robust local production systems.<br>Today, if
you ask a municipality, "How many business entities of different types
and classifications are there in your municipality? Some municipalities
might say 20, 30, or 40. And you ask them: How many are subordinate to
the municipality? And they say: two. Generally, a municipal
agro-industrial enterprise, which we achieved last year in all
municipalities, some of which were provincial or national dependencies,
and a commercial enterprise.<br>So how is the municipality going to
develop with an agro-industrial company and a trading company? And all
the other things subordinate to national or provincial entities, all
contributing income to national and provincial structures when the
processes take place in that municipality.<br>I am not saying that all
companies have to be municipal, because there are companies that, due to
their characteristics, because they produce something unique or because
they are of a certain size, even if they are in a municipality, have to
be subordinate to the national or provincial government; but what
cannot happen is that the majority are of that type of subordination, so
why are we going to give autonomy to the municipality if they have no
one to support them?<br>Therefore, in order for municipalities to be
able to generate their local production systems, we are defending, as a
concept, that we are going to eat what is produced in each place. Now
more than ever, if there is less fuel, food will not be able to leave
one municipality for another.<br>We have said that we are going to
change the concept of the basket. Until now, our basket has depended on
imports and a centralized decision. What the country can import, and
that is what we distribute equally. We try to guarantee everyone 7
pounds of rice per month at subsidized prices, whether you are a worker
in a state-owned company that is developing, earning more than 25,000
pesos; or you are from a non-state MSME earning 60,000 pesos; or you are
a retiree who may be in a vulnerable situation, to everyone, we cannot
do that. Or we take rice to the municipality that produces rice and
sell subsidized rice to the rice producer. That is egalitarianism, that
is not equity.<br>Equity is when we give more to those who have less, we
redistribute so that they can catch up and the gaps are broken, without
violating a principle of socialist distribution, which is that of
contribution, but without leaving anyone behind. But if you have people
at this level and people at that level and you give everyone the same,
that's what adds up, but the gap remains, the gap remains!<br>So, we
have to do that work, with the autonomy of the state-owned company
within the framework of the municipality and in conjunction with the
powers of the municipalities.<br>What we aspire to is for a municipality
to export and generate its exports; to import, generate income from
exports, and have a scheme to be able to invest in the municipality's
affairs. That will unleash the productive forces.<br>In this concept of
the basket, if we are going to eat what the municipality produces, then
what the country can buy is for more; but it is not the people waiting
for what we can import, it is the people seeking, producing.<br>So,
look, if there is now a group of entities that, like the basket, is
centralized and based on imports at the central level, who is
participating in solving the food problem? A few. When we do it that
way, those few don't stop doing it, but now we are adding more people,
and so we are going to add more to the whole productive dynamic and the
whole social dynamic of the territories.<br>This is realistic; let's not
think that progress will be the same everywhere, let's not think that
everything will work out for us right away everywhere; but we are
creating the culture, we are demonstrating the results, we are moving
forward, we are correcting, we are stimulating, and we are also
compensating, with central redistribution, for any differences that may
remain and for those who may be at a disadvantage. This will also lead
to a change in the import-oriented mindset.<br>There are other elements
that we are working on: renegotiating our external debt; establishing
appropriate relations between the state sector and the non-state sector;
taking advantage of what we have now approved, which is that economic
partnerships can be formed between the state sector and the non-state
sector; ensuring that both the state sector and the non-state sector are
included in local and territorial development strategies, that they
form part of the plan for what we want to achieve.<br>Similarly, we must
take advantage of all the flexibility we have given to foreign direct
investment, as announced by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Deputy
Prime Minister at the Havana International Fair.<br>Within these
concepts is how we promote and create facilities and encourage the
participation of Cubans living abroad with projects that contribute to
the economic and social development of the country. That is another
element, another transformation that we have to work on.<br>We have
arrived at these reflections, we have arrived at these convictions
because we have seen people who have proposed them, have done them, and
have achieved them. Here there are rice companies that did not have the
technological packages to produce rice, and that began to export, for
example, charcoal, or habanero peppers, or other agricultural products,
and we made a plan for them, and with part of their income, they have
purchased the inputs and fuel to produce rice, and they have become
independent, achieved autonomy, and are developing productively and
contributing more. And in those places where this is achieved, in those
municipalities, rice is cheaper.<br>We have to manage to produce
nationally everything we can produce in the country, and if we are going
to import something, import inputs to boost national production, and
only import products that we cannot make in the country.<br>There is the priority of energy transformation, the energy transition, which we have already explained here.<br>We
must never forget that we have to work to care for the vulnerable and
that in every decision we make, in everything we implement, we have to
see who is disadvantaged and how we compensate those who are
disadvantaged.<br>We will have to continue to refine our tax policy,
monetary policy, financial restructuring, and the banking and financial
system, which must be updated and modernized to support everything we
intend to do from an economic standpoint.<br>Once again, I insist on
priorities, I insist on transformations; moving to other levels in
science and innovation, in digital transformation and artificial
intelligence, in political, institutional, and social communication; and
also beginning to develop the concept of the knowledge economy, which
is the economy generated as part of the contribution of science and
innovation, of knowledge, and for which the country has enormous
potential.<br>I spoke about the Party's priorities, about
transformations, and about how we can move these things forward. The
experience of the Plenary Sessions gives us the certainty that we can
move forward in a different way.<br>Arleen Rodríguez: Mr. President, I
would like to give the floor back to the youngest member of this group
of journalists because he had no idea that he could ask two questions in
one, and it seems to me that, as the youngest member of the team, his
question is related to the future, which is something I can see. Go
ahead, Raciel Guanche.<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel.- Furthermore, he is a
young man who, during a visit we shared with his media outlet's
collective, we realized has leadership qualities and is proposing
innovative ideas.<br>Raciel Guanche: President, in the context we have
been discussing since the beginning of the conference, I would like to
know your assessment of the attitude taken by the people, and within
that, of course, by young people, in the midst of so many complexities
that we have also experienced.<br>Miguel M. Díaz-Canel.- I believe that
every time we talk about the people and every time we talk about young
people, as the popular saying goes, "we must take our hats off to
them." <br>The heroism of this people is astonishing, and even though we
are in this daily adversity, facing difficult things, when you see the
responses, the creativity, the resistance\u2014and I insist, the resistance
of the Cuban people is not a resistance of endurance, it is a resistance
of creation, it is resisting, but I overcome; I resist, I move forward;
I resist, I grow. I always illustrated this at another time with what
we had achieved with COVID-19, with science and vaccines; that is, it
was not just about getting through COVID-19, it was about getting
through COVID-19, but overcoming it with our own creativity, as was the
impact of our vaccines\u2014one cannot have any doubts or any other feelings
towards the attitude of our people and towards the attitude of our young
people; although many speak trying to denigrate the people and many
speak trying to denigrate our youth.<br>One has a vision for young
people, perhaps it has to do with my years as a university student, with
my years as a student leader, but I have said it before: for me, young
people must be treated as the important people they are in our society.
When we talk about unity, there is no unity if young people are not part
of that unity. When we talk about continuity, there is no continuity
without young people. That is why, in this concept of popular
participation, I always say: everything must have an outlet for popular
participation, and within that popular participation, everything must
have an outlet for how we convene and how young people participate.<br>There
are everyday examples of the responses young people give: their outrage
over what is happening in Venezuela; their participation in the tribute
to our fallen heroes, in the March of the Fighting People, and later in
the Torch March. These young people are living through the complex
situations of these times, the shortages of these times, and sometimes
their life plans are not yet what they aspire to, but they continue to
have confidence because they know that those life plans are more
possible here than anywhere else.<br>This generation we have is more
open-minded, although some people sometimes say, "No, they don't know
that much, they don't read that much." And when you talk to them, you
are amazed at how knowledgeable they are, at the depth of their
judgment, at the way they can distinguish content, at their
intelligence; but also, when you call on them to do difficult things,
they do them.<br>I remember, and I've explained this many times, when we
were busy devising a strategy to deal with COVID-19, when it first
started to appear, we hadn't yet realized that we had to call on young
people, and when we went to do so, young people were already in the Red
Zone. They mobilized on their own because they understood that they
could contribute to the country, that who better than them. And young
people from all sectors did so.<br>I tell you, every time I have had a
meeting with young people, every time I have participated in a debate
with young people, I have always learned and been enriched by their
experiences and perspectives. Listening to young people, you can also
see things differently, I would say in a more up-to-date, more
contemporary, more daring way, and that daring that our young people can
contribute, that restlessness with commitment, is very good for the
nation and for everything we want to do.<br>And we couldn't think otherwise, because in our history, young people have always played a fundamental role. <br>Young
people today are no different in that respect; young people today also
have that heritage, they share that legacy, that patrimony. Who were the
mambises? And there are paradigmatic examples: the young Céspedes, the
young Agramonte, the young Maceo, our great thinkers; the young Martí,
at 16 years of age in a Presidio Modelo, unjustly imprisoned for
defending his convictions. <br>Every year, when the Torch March ends, we
go there and pay tribute at the quarry, and every time I see the poem
to his mother, I am moved. That this was written by a 16-year-old!<br>And
our scientists, and those who led the Revolution of '33, the Centennial
Generation, the Revolution. The generation of young people who in the
1960s faced the aggression at Girón, carried out the Literacy Campaign,
and then lived through the days of the October Crisis. The generations
of us who were young when we lived through the Special Period, when the
socialist camp fell. And the young people of today.<br>Could we have the
unity and resistance that the Cuban people are showing today in the
midst of this situation if young people were not participating?<br>The
thing is, there are some who only talk about those who have left, those
who have tried their luck in other countries, but most of them have not
broken with the Revolution; on the contrary, many are committed to it.
In these times of threats, how many have returned, how many are
concerned, how many are demonstrating against the aggression?<br>So, we trust those young people.<br>And
what better example? What sums up the values of all those young people
at the present time? The thirty-two. That is our youth. And they are the
present and future of the nation, they are the present and future of
the homeland, and we must take great care of them.<br>Arleen Rodríguez:
President, if you have nothing else to add, let us stick with the
commitment, because surely there are other journalists who are
interested and the moment, as you say, demands a lot of communication.<br>Miguel
M. Díaz-Canel.- In the coming days, the continuity of many things that I
have explained here, which I have not gone into detail about, can be
explained by following up with other colleagues in the Government and
the Party, especially with regard to the issues we discussed today on
the subject of energy, which I know is one of the things that most
concerns the population at the moment, because it has a significant
impact on everyone's daily life. <br>And to you, I would like to thank you for the meeting, your time, and your patience (Applause).</p></div> </div></div></div>
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