On the occasion of the 97th birthday of the leader of the Cuban Revolution, on August 13, Prensa Latina spoke with some of the youngest officials who are on mission in the United States.

For Castillo, Fidel’s work and thought are basically the essence of Cuban diplomats, particularly in her case as a young diplomat and for each generation that preceded her.

“From Fidel we have and carry with us the profound defense of our sovereignty, of our independence as a country; the defense of internationalism, anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism,” she stressed.

Castillo added that she was always attracted by the charisma of his personality and the way in which he managed to reach not only the Cuban people but also the international community.

We have Fidel and we carry him with us very close to our hearts, the 28-year-old diplomat noted.

Similar opinions were expressed by David Ramírez, 32, who emphasized that for him “the main legacy of our Commander-in-Chief is the moral vest that he always defended.”

He commented that among the qualities of his singular personality that most impress him are, in addition to his humanism, his ideals of social justice and his capacity as a statesman.

“When we work internationally, we see it as that compass,” added Ramírez, who stated that at times when certain situations are faced, “we think about how the Commander-in-Chief would react.”

Cuba is a small country, but it is very fortunate to have two figures, two world giants who were our apostle José Martí (1853-1895) and Fidel Castro, who gave it an international connotation, he pointed out.

Ramírez pointed out that Fidel’s example and guidance remains “in our thoughts and in our daily actions” right now.

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