Díaz-Canel Sends 'Embrace to Chavistas' on Bolivarian Leader's Birthday

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel extended a warm greeting to "Chavistas of Our America and the world" on the occasion of the 72nd birthday of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, whom he fondly remembered as a "great friend of Cuba."

Díaz-Canel's message, shared on social media, hailed Chávez as a "leader of Bolivarian integration of the global South" and invoked his enduring influence. "Eternal glory to the great friend of Cuba and of (former Cuban President) Fidel (Castro), Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, who, like Bolívar, still has much to do in America," the Cuban president wrote.

In Caracas, hundreds of supporters of Chavismo, the political movement founded by Chávez, marched to his mausoleum. The commemoration was organized by the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

The article notes that the once-strong political and economic alliance between Venezuela and Cuba, forged by Chávez and Castro, has faced significant challenges. The suspension of Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, due to U.S. sanctions, and the return of many Cuban professionals from Venezuela have strained the relationship. Recently, Cuba sent military and medical personnel to Venezuela following a devastating earthquake, where they were received by Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez.