The Communist Party of Cuba, the PCC, for its Spanish initials, celebrates its Eighth Congress

The Comunist Party of Cuba, the PCC, for its Spanish initials, celebrates its Eighth Congress on a day of great significance for all Cubans.  Sixty years ago -- on April 16th in 1961 -- Fidel Castro proclaimed the socialist character of the Revolution, which would be heroically defended hours later against the mercenary invasion of Playa Giron, supported and financed by the United States.

On that memorable day, Cubans gathered in Havana to listen to Fidel Castro saying that the Cuban Revolution would be defended by the women and men of our people.  And he was right.  We have learned to preserve our achievements, thus, with this fighting spirit and unity, we come to this meeting that brings together a representation of Cubans, because the people are the real Party.

This will definitely reaffirm the determination to continue building our project for a country, guided by the ideals of Fidel and that generation of men and women who fought to bequeath us a more just and equitable society.

The Cuban Revolution has not ceased to be the target of aggressions of all kinds.  That is why this event, like those celebrated before, is also taking place at a complex time, marked by the strengthening of the genocidal U.S. blockade.  In the last four years alone, the United States has taken more than 200 actions and sanctions against our nation.

But there have also been slander campaigns against Cuba.  Attempts are being made to subvert the constitutional order by financing Internet sites to incite a social outbreak as part of a "soft coup."  Even still, in the midst of the adverse economic conditions, the tireless confrontation with COVID-19, which has required an gigantic human and material effort to guarantee the health of the citizens.

This represents an exceptional moment, in which our people have moved forward and are working to build a more prosperous and sustainable society. Economic development is one of the challenges we face today and will therefore be the subject of debate in the Congress to find solutions to the problems through science and innovation, as President Miguel Díaz Canel has so often reiterated.

It will also be essential to analyze the functioning of the Party organization, its link with the masses and ideological activity, amid subversive campaigns carried out against our country.

The unity that characterizes Cubans, who for decades have shared risks, challenges and sacrifices, allows us to reach this Eighth Congress, historical continuity of the revolution, and move forward, working for the present and the future of our nation.