Caracas, January 2 (RHC)--Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sent a message of congratulations to his counterpart, Cuban President Raul Castro, on the occasion of the 59th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution.

In a statement released by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry Monday, Maduro praised the heroism of the Cuban people in their resistance against six decades of U.S. imperialist aggression.

He commended the country’s revolutionary process for withstanding numerous acts of sabotage, including the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by Washington for the past few decades.

Maduro heralded Cuba as an example of dignity and hope for the working class the world over, especially in the areas of health, education, child protection and other indicators of human development.

The Venezuelan leader stressed the vital relationship between both the Cuban and Bolivarian revolutions, as well as the similar emancipatory legacies of Jose Marti in Cuba and Simón Bolivar in Venezuela.

He also pointed to the close ties that had existed between late revolutionary Cuban leader Fidel Castro and late revolutionary Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.