The Ambassador of Cuba in Grenada, Yadirys Echenique Paz, spoke on August 18 at a tribute held in that Caribbean nation to mark the centenary of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz. The event took place in the protocol hall of the Kirani James Athletics Stadium.
As part of her address, the diplomat highlighted the significance of Fidel’s figure beyond Cuba’s borders, with a profound impact on Latin America and the Caribbean, and especially on Grenada.
In this context, the Ambassador invited the audience to reflect on Fidel’s personal and collective legacy in the region. She emphasized that the life and work of the Cuban leader continue to serve as a guide for new generations.
At another point in her remarks, Echenique Paz reflected: “How many of those present here do not have a memory of Fidel? Whether because they had the historic fortune of meeting him, because his revolutionary ideas and actions shaped their lives in some way, or because they find in his trajectory part of the inspiration to face the challenges of daily life. How many life stories linked to the life and history of the Commander could we recount today!”
The Cuban official also underscored that the Commander in Chief promoted bilateral cooperation with Grenada, which has been reflected, for example, in the presence of Cuban health and engineering personnel in the small island state over several decades.
The Ambassador further referred to the impact of training Grenadian professionals in Cuban universities, recalling the “young people who traveled to Cuba and returned as doctors, engineers, teachers, veterinarians, economists, and technicians, later contributing to Grenada’s development.”
She also stressed that Fidel understood solidarity as an unconditional principle. For this reason, she recalled, Cuba supported the Grenadian Revolution without reservations, conditions, or interference — a commitment that knew no hesitation and was sealed with the blood of 24 Cubans who fell confronting the “bloody U.S. military intervention of 1983.”
The diplomat drew attention to what Fidel would have done in the face of contemporary challenges, against imperialist pressures and interference that still seek to divide and weaken the peoples of the Caribbean. In this regard, she pointed to his example: “defend unity, strengthen cooperation, and uphold dignity as an inalienable principle.”
Her speech included the gratitude of the Cuban government and people for the expressions of solidarity from Grenada, especially in 2026, “a year in which the United States has intensified its pressure measures against our country, maintaining the economic blockade and applying sanctions that directly affect the daily lives of Cuban families, with an energy siege whose impact amounts to a silent genocide and with a threat of military aggression that has not yet dissipated.”
The tribute also featured the participation of the Honorable Lennox Andrews, Acting Prime Minister of Grenada, the Honorable Dessima Williams, President of the Senate, and Dr. Malachy Dottin, Coordinator of the Committee of Grenadian Students Graduated in Cuba.
Also present were Her Excellency Dame Cécile La Grenade, Governor General of Grenada, representatives of the accredited diplomatic corps, members of the Committee of Grenadian Graduates in Cuba, the Grenada–Cuba Friendship Association, the Cuban state mission, and a representation of Cuban residents in the country, as well as parliamentarians, political leaders, and government officials of the small island state.