Presidential Affairs Minister Offers Condolences to Cuban President over Passing of Fidel Castro

HAVANA– Representing President Bashar Al-Assad, Minister of Presidential Affairs Mansour Azzam participated in the memorial service for the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro which was held in Cuba on Tuesday evening, SANA reported.

Meeting Cuban President Raul Castro, Azzam relayed the condolences of President Bashar Al-Assad and the Syrian leadership, government, and people to the Cuban leadership and the late leader’s family.

 Azzam said that the late Fidel Castro has a special place in the hearts of the Syrian people, He was a symbol of steadfastness and defiance in the face of US embargos and aggressions, and was one of the people who left their mark on events in Latin America and the world and took part in the making of history.

The Minister said that the late Fidel Castro was a comrade in arms and in mentality to the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, affirming that Castro will live forever in the minds of future generations and will continue to inspire those who strive for true independence and liberation from colonialism and hegemony.

For his part, President Raul Castro tasked Azzam with relaying a verbal message to President al-Assad, thanking him for offering condolences and wishing the Syrian people prosperity, progress, and victory.

On the sideline of the memorial service, Azzam met President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, who asked the Minister to relay his salutation to President al-Assad and affirmed his support for the Syrian people, affirming that Syria will be victorious in its war against terrorism.

25 world leaders and many representatives of states participated in the memorial service which was held in the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana, where thousands of Cubans gathered to pay tribute to the late leader.

Fidel Castro will be laid to rest on December 4th in Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in the city of Santiago de Cuba. Prior to that, his body will tour Cuba, following in reverse the path taken by the Caravan of Freedom that Fidel Castro had led in 1959 after toppling the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.