Volodin: Russia to ensure Cuba's independent future

MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. Russia will do everything to ensure that the Cuban people remain free to plan their future independently, rather than following the wishes of other countries, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition titled ‘A Soldier of the Epoch. Marking the Centenary of Fidel Castro’s Birth’.

"For our part, we are doing everything to ensure that the ideas developed by Fidel Castro, the ideas supported by our country are implemented; to ensure that the Cuban people remain free to plan their future and do that independently, rather than under the direction of any other countries," Volodin said.

According to him, the peoples of Russia and Cuba have developed warm relations. "That is why we consider it wrong when sanctions are imposed, or blockades are declared. Today, our country is overcoming obstacles, challenges, and sanctions, becoming stronger. We realize that it is necessary to ensure the freedom of Russia, to ensure the future of our children," the State Duma chairman noted.

Russia’s Communist Party initiated the exhibition, which features archival photographs, documents and historical materials, showcasing key stages of the revolutionary struggle of the Cuban people, the emergence of socialist Cuba, and the long-standing activities of its leader on the international arena, the party’s website reads.

Among the distinguished guests of the opening ceremony were Cuban Ambassador to Russia Enrique Orta Gonzalez and Venezuela’s Ambassador to Russia Jesus Rafael Salazar Velasquez.