We call on the United States government to respect the Cuban people’s right to self-determination, to respect their political system, and to listen to the voice of the international community, which has been demanding for decades the unconditional lifting of the economic, financial, and commercial blockade against the island, the organization stated.

  We reiterate our consistent position of standing with the Cuban people to continue fighting until final victory, emphasizes the document signed by the president of the Association and of the Laos-Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group, Chaleun Yiapaoher.

  At the commemorative event, the Cuban ambassador to Laos, Enna Viant, emphasized that Army General Raul Castro is a hero, a symbol, a leader who represents the continuity of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro and the steadfastness of the Revolution.

  The head of the Cuban state mission in Laos later noted that “Raul, from the Sierra Maestra, was the military organizer, the man of discipline and firmness. With him, the Revolutionary Armed Forces were forged, the backbone of the defense of the homeland.”

  Viant expressed elsewhere in her speech at the commemorative event that Fidel and Raúl are more than blood brothers: they are brothers in cause, inseparable comrades in the revolutionary epic.

  “In the hearts of the people, Fidel is the Commander-in-Chief, the voice that taught us to resist. Raul is the Army General, the symbol of discipline and perseverance. Together they represent confidence in the future, the certainty that the Revolution is invincible,” he stated.

jdt/npg/mpm