Physical Address
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On the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the disappearance of former Cuban President Fidel Castro, the daily El Moudjahid and the Machâal Echahid association dedicated, this Wednesday, a Forum, in coordination with the Cuban embassy, to pay him a strong tribute, saluting the fraternal relations between Algiers and Havana.
The ceremony, organized at the newspaper’s headquarters, brought together representatives from the diplomatic world, government actors and several guests. In his opening speech, the president and CEO of El Moudjahid, Brahim Takheroubt, praised the memory of the former Cuban president, whom he described as “a giant of history” whose revolutionary commitment continues to inspire people. Then, he recalled the “singular and exemplary” character of the relationship between Algiers and Havana, a relationship that he described as “flawless and without wrinkles”.
In this perspective, Mr. Takheroubt declared that “Cuba had provided unwavering moral support to the Algerian revolution”, also recalling that “the human and military support provided during the War of the Sands had sealed historic solidarity”. He added that “Havana’s health commitment remained exemplary”, citing in particular “the Algerian-Cuban Ophthalmology Hospital of Djelfa”.
On the international level, he was keen to emphasize that at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cuba, despite the blockade which had been strangling it for decades, dispatched medical brigades to Europe to lend a hand to health systems.
In this circumstance, he especially mentioned that Algeria and Cuba remain united by common causes, including the right of peoples to self-determination, evoking “unfailing solidarity”.
Subsequently, the Cuban ambassador to Algeria, Héctor Igarza Cabrera, spoke, saluting the memory of the “historic leader of the Cuban revolution, on the occasion of this ninth commemoration.” He said Fidel Castro remains “a symbol of resistance for the countries of the Global South” and that his internationalist vision has left “an indelible mark” on many regions of Africa.
For the ambassador, the relationship between Cuba and Algeria is based on solidarity, loyalty and mutual respect. In this regard, he recalled that Castro considered the Algerian revolution as “one of the most revolutionary acts of the 20th century”, that Cuba had publicly supported the National Liberation Front (FLN) during the War, by being among the first States to recognize independent Algeria, and that the military and medical aid provided in 1963 during the Sand War was, in the eyes of Havana, a real “moral obligation”.
“Over the decades, Algerian-Cuban cooperation has continued to strengthen; all Algerian presidents have taken care to maintain this relationship, thus consolidating six decades of cooperation between our two countries,” affirmed Héctor Igarza Cabrera. Thousands of Algerian students were trained in Cuban institutions, while hundreds of Cuban doctors worked in Algerian hospitals, according to the same speaker.
In this wake, the ambassador insisted on “the fact that Cuba has never acted according to economic or geopolitical interests, but according to principles inherited from the thought of Fidel Castro”. He also spoke of Cuba’s role in several African countries where “Havana supported liberation movements and participated in training.”
Recalling Fidel Castro’s visit to Algiers during the 1973 Conference of Non-Aligned Countries, the ambassador underlined the scope of his message. “For him [Fidel Castro]non-alignment is not moral neutrality; it is an active commitment against imperialism, discrimination and all forms of domination,” he said. A reflection, he added, which can still guide nations in the Global South today.
In this continuity, he welcomed Algeria’s constant position in favor of the Palestinian cause and the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, positions which are part of the heritage of the principles defended by Cuba, according to Héctor Igarza Cabrera. Finally, the ceremony ended with the screening of a documentary film dedicated to Fidel Castro, followed by several speeches in tribute to his memory.