RECEPTION OF THE PARTY DELEGATION OF THE CUBA GOVERNMENT AT THE PRIME MINISTER, ON 28.11.1964
Comrade Mehmet Shehu: We are very happy about your visit to our country. We call the arrival of the Cuban delegation on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the liberation of our Motherland as a great honor. Thank you very much for this.
You have come a long way to come to our country, even crossing the Ocean. Although our two countries are far from each other, we still call it that we are close to each other.
We are a small nation but with a big heart. For you Cubans in particular, our people have a great love, because you are revolutionaries; moreover, because, like us, you also took power in the same way, in a revolutionary way. Facts prove that, until today, it has not happened that power has been taken from any people without an armed struggle. For the Cuban and Albanian people, freedom is very expensive.
As I said before, although we are far, we are very close to each other, because Cuba is the first socialist country in the Americas. And, it is characteristic that the Cuban revolution was made in completely different conditions than what others thought. When we talk about the revolutions made after the Second World War, you made the revolution in the conditions of the revolutionary tide, that is, in very difficult conditions. The revolution was made in other conditions, when the Soviet Army was at war with our main enemies - the fascists, when the aggressive forces of the world were trapped by the Soviet Army, and you made the revolution when there was no world war, in peacetime, far the socialist camp, close to the most dangerous and strongest hotbed of imperialism, the American imperialism, at the time of the general offensive of world reaction, when the front of international revisionism progressed and the socialist camp was on the wane. Despite all these difficult conditions, compared to our objective
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conditions, you have won. In other words, you won under much more difficult conditions. This is a great contribution to Marxism-Leninism, it is something that proves that even far from the socialist camp, even without territorial contacts, even being a small state and close to American imperialism, under its nose, a revolution can take place. But only on one condition, on the path that you have followed, on the path that Fidel Castro followed. Otherwise, neither revolution nor power can be taken. For example, Chile will not get and will never gain power in the way it wants to, with parliamentary elections, while in Venezuela the reaction can prevail and the popular forces led by the Communist Party will win, because they pursue the armed revolutionary struggle. Therefore, we have admiration for the Cuban people and revolution.
Wilfredo Rodrigues: I am extremely satisfied and very happy to be in the People's Republic of Albania. It is a great honor for me to be given the opportunity to lead the delegation of the party and the government of Cuba on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the liberation of your Motherland.
The fact that we carried the revolution to the end, under the leadership of Fidel Castro, is a contribution to the fight against imperialism in general and against the American one in particular. This is reinforced, as you said, by the victory of the socialist revolution in our era.
Even though our two countries are far from each other or even though our country is far from the socialist camp and close to the imperialist countries, our revolution reinforces the truth of the transition from the capitalist system to the socialist system, that the forces of capitalism and imperialism are not able to stop the advance of the peoples in their struggle for national liberation, to liquidate the regimes that have surrendered completely to American imperialism, and to bury the governments that protect the interests of the rich.
A series of national liberation movements have been born in Latin America.
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Some vanguard parties, in order to achieve their goal, have supported the method of armed struggle. For example, the glorious Communist Party of Venezuela has thrown itself into partisan warfare against the capitalist regime. This war will be difficult, it will be long, but, in the end, we know that it is a victorious war, like the war of other peoples. Even in some other countries of Latin America, some national liberation movements have been based on the armed struggle against their regimes, led by imperialist oligarchy governments. Even these movements will win, for the reason that the forces of socialism at the present time are much greater and stronger than those of the capitalist camp.
We wish, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the liberation of your Motherland, to express to the Party and the Government of the People's Republic of Albania our best wishes for greater success and victory in the future.
Comrade Mehmet Shehu: Let's drink this toast to our unbreakable friendship, to the Cuban revolution, to the permanent Cuban revolution!
Wilfredo Rodriguez: Patria o muerte!
Comrade Mehmet Shehu: We will win! (Meanwhile they toast and drink).
You have a very revolutionary, mobilizing, deeply meaningful, optimistic and revolutionary slogan. There are some who say that when Cubans use the slogan "Patria o muerte", they want to die. No Cuban wants to die, just as no human wants to die. But when the Cuban and revolutionary says "Patria o muerte", it means that if necessary, even life must be sacrificed for the Motherland. And there is optimism, because he says: Vinceremos!". Therefore, the Cuban will live, as long as it will be implemented and is being implemented. (Comrade Hysni Kapo added: "And, they implement it more than those who criticize it"). That's right. The Cubans put it into practice, despite the fact that there are others who criticize this slogan behind their arms.
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Wilfredo Rodriguez: To start a war, like ours, these two things are needed: first, the determination to face the war, to achieve our objectives, and, second, faith in our forces and in our future.
Comrade Enter Kapo: That's right.
Comrade Mehmet Shehu: How is the situation in Cuba now, in terms of building socialism? How is agriculture and industry? What about the difficulties created by the blockade of the imperialists?
Wilfredo Rodriguez: Good. As you may know, the situation has not been so good. Our country was an underdeveloped country, one of the underdeveloped countries. Our economy depends mainly on the production of sugar cane and the export to a very low degree of tobacco, as well as some types of minerals. We were forced to export these products to the United States of America, which took advantage of the conditions of capitalist rule that existed before in our country, to make extraordinary profits from our products. Although sugar cane was the main production in our country and we were one of the world's largest producers of this crop, the technique of processing it was very primitive. Although sugarcane had the largest percentage, the percentage or number of plants per hectare was below the world average. This was determined by the primitive technique and carelessness regarding the processing of sugar cane.
The other sector of our economy, animal husbandry, developed in extremely primitive conditions. It was developed on the basis of extensive grazing, a cavalry that was equal to 3/4 of the country's needs that, with all the suitable climatic conditions of our country, where it is allowed to have abundant greenery throughout the year, could keep only 13-14-15,000 heads of fat cattle alive.
We will put all our efforts especially in the production of sugar cane and the increase of animal husbandry, taking into account
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the use of our wastes that come out of use, from the use of sugar cane. Also, for the increase of livestock products, such as milk, butter, etc., we are working to create favorable conditions for the rapid development of these two sectors, we also consider using modern technology. Now experimental areas of sugarcane have been established in our country, for all provinces, to see where cane can be best developed.
From the point of view of livestock, we are developing the intensive pastures of our country. By doing this, we believe that we have had some good results. On the one hand, the yield per area, for each hectare, and therefore the amount of livestock feed will quadruple, and, on the other hand, more favorable conditions will be created for increasing milk production. I will also guarantee the increase of small livestock. To this extent, we will guarantee for the future an addition to livestock and better milk production.
We expect to produce in 1970 up to 10 million tons of sugar. And when we manage to produce 10 million tons of sugar, the value of livestock production will exceed the value of the total sugar production.
For the construction of socialism in our country, we are working to use our extraordinary conditions, so that we can get as much as possible from agriculture and livestock, without neglecting other sectors of the economy.
In the last speech given by Fidel Castro, it was announced that 358,000 workers have entered schools to grow up and obtain the VI degree qualification. And after Fidel Castro's speech, a large number of employees responded to this call and it seems that the revolution is triumphing with sure steps in the economy and culture as well. The progress of equipping our workers with a revolutionary culture is visible in all areas, be it in agriculture, in the development of industry, in education and culture, in the elimination of the vices of the past.
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Comrade Mehmet Shehu: Without the ideological revolution, socialism cannot be achieved. The success in the ideological revolution sector also determines political, economic and military success. Therefore what you say is very right.
We wish you success!
Let's drink this toast to the successes of building socialism in socialist Cuba, to the health of Comrade Fidel Castro, for the triumph of Marxism-Leninism, especially in Latin America and throughout the world! Of course, when we talk about the war in Latin America, we cannot separate it from the events in other important places in the world.
We will win!
Prepared the shorthand (Qemal Ceka)
Tirana, on November 28, 1964
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