Havana, August 3 (RHC) -- Army General Raúl Castro and President Miguel Díaz-Canel today congratulated members of the Cuban Youth Labor Army (EJT) on the 50th anniversary of its creation.

The Granma newspaper published a letter from Raul Castro, in which he congratulates the JLA and highlights its essential work in society, contributing to the economic and productive development of the Caribbean country.

In the letter, the leader of the Cuban Revolution emphasized that it is possible to find the members of the youth army anywhere in the Cuban geography, carrying out different tasks, including international missions, in which, in addition to participating in the combats, they carried out works that were decisive for the subsequent outcome of the war.

"With the commitment to serve the people in the defense and economic development of the country, this command has been a training school," he stressed.

He stressed that the intense work regime, its organization, demands and discipline have contributed to forge the will, character and revolutionary convictions of thousands of young people.

Raul Castro urged the youth army to continue advancing with greater determination from every front and place of work, without ever neglecting the defense of the homeland.

Meanwhile, President Díaz-Canel sent his congratulations to the YTF from his Twitter account and thanked them for their decisive contributions to the economy.

Producing also defends the homeland, said the president on the social network.

The president of the National Assembly of People's Power, Esteban Lazo, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, as well as several authorities of the Caribbean nation also extended their congratulations on the aforementioned platform.

The JTF was founded on August 3, 1973 and is defined as the grouping of forces and means that is part of the ground troops of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (Source: PL). (Source: PL)