The event titled as “Great Humanity is 60 years old” and organized by José Martí Cuba-Turkey Friendship Association took place at Şişli, İstanbul on November 27. Juan Carlos Marsan Aguilera, the General Director of International Relations department of the Communist Party of Cuba, and Kemal Okuyan, the General Secretary of Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), have attended the General Director of International Relations department of the Communist Party of Cuba the meeting. The event started with a performance of pianist Dengin Ceyhan and continued with a video show commemorating Fidel Castro.
"WE BROUGHT SOLIDARITY GREETINGS FROM SOCIALIST CUBA"
Juan Carlos Marsan Aguilera, the General Director of International Relations department of the Communist Party of Cuba, started his speech by saying that: "We brought solidarity greetings from socialist Cuba. Greetings to you from Fidel's motherland”.
"As you know, Cuba is a little Caribbean island. An island only 90 miles far away from the U.S. made a socialist revolution by enduring enormous challenges. This revolution of ordinary people together with ordinary people for ordinary people was to stop the US hegemony," he added. Reminding that Cuba has been facing a brutal economic war and other destructive activities, Aguilera said that despite all these Fidel’s Cuba is living and will celebrate its 60the anniversary soon.
PROTECTING THE SOCIALIST CHARACTER OF THE SYSTEM
Aguilera also reminded that as a result of hardships arising from the U.S. blockade and dissolution of the socialist block, changes affecting the whole world affected Cuba as well. A requirement to renovate the infrastructure of the industry in Cuba emerged and they made a plan covering the years until 2030. The process of renewing the constitution in Cuba, according to Aguilera, is a good example of participatory democracy in which millions of citizens of Cuba have been part of the process.
"What our people think in common," he said, “is to protect the socialist character of the country, which means being independent, sovereign, socialist and a democratic country”.
"CUBA HAS RESISTED ALONE"
After Juan Carlos Marsan's speech, Kemal Okuyan, the GS of TKP reminded that Cuba had to tackle with major hassles alone after the dissolution of the USSR. "Cuba has never left alone even for a day, but they have resisted alone since the dissolution of the USSR. When I went to Cuba after the USSR collapsed, we all had the same question in our minds: Would Cuba be able to resist? They used to name it 'special period' back then. The USSR with nuclear weapons, people and underground sources had collapsed, but Cuba has survived. We have to understand the reason lying behind this because we will face the same situation," he added.
