AKEL sends birthday congrats to ‘comrade Fidel’  

AKEL announced on Thursday that its general secretary Andros Kyprianou sent a congratulatory message to the former leader of Cuba Fidel Castro for his 90th birthday.

Castro was born on August 13, 1926 in Biran in eastern Cuba. The Caribbean country’s historic leader had played a key role in the Cuban Revolution an armed revolt that begun in 1953 against the US-backed authoritarian government of the then president Fulgencio Batista who was ousted in 1959. Castro served as the president of the Republic of Cuba between 1976 and 2008, when he stepped down and was replaced by his brother Raul.

In the message, where Kyprianou addressed Castro as “Dear Comrade Fidel”, the party extend their wishes to the Cuban leader.

“On behalf of the AKEL central committee and me personally, I convey to you our warmest wishes for your 90th birthday,” the message said.

Today in your 90s, you can rest assured that history has justified the Revolution and its leadership, Kyprianou said in the message.

“Cuba, against difficulties … remains … a beacon of inspiration for every struggling people of the world. The conquests and achievements of the Revolution are an example for the peoples and workers in all countries of the world. Your personal contribution in all this will not be forgotten. History vindicated you as it daily vindicates those who choose the path of dignity and struggle for the socialist future of the world,” Kyprianou said.

He added that the fact that the US “were forced to change their tactics” towards Cuba, “is an important victory for the people and the leadership of your country”.

But as “the US imperialism has not changed its goals,” Kyprianou said, AKEL, will remain alert as to the developments concerning the Cuba-US relations and will continue to pledge its solidarity.

“We continue to unite our voice with Cuba for the end of the inhumane embargo of the US at its expense, for the closing down of the Guantanamo hellhole … and to combat attempts to undermine the Revolution,” he said.

“Dear comrade Fidel, from the remote Cyprus we extend our warmest wishes for health and happiness”.

The party also extended their greetings to the members and the leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), and to the Cuban people.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.