March 11 is the anniversary of the conclusion of the treaty on friendship and cooperation between the DPRK and Cuba.

On March 8 1986, President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il warmly received Fidel Castro Ruz and his entourage visiting the DPRK at the then Pyongyang airport and offered them lavish hospitality.

The historic meeting between the DPRK leaders and Fidel Castro was an important occasion that ensured the dynamic development of the bilateral friendly relations on the basis of the deep intimacy and comradely friendship between the leaders of the two countries.

The agreements made at the summit talks and the treaty concluded in the meantime provided a historic milestone and legal guarantee for promoting the development of the bilateral ties of friendship.

After the Cuban revolution won victory on January 1 1959, the President extended firm solidarity to the just struggle of the Cuban people for safeguarding the gains of the revolution by smashing the imperialists’ aggressive and destructive ploys and for building socialism.

Regarding it as a noble internationalist duty to defend the Cuban revolution, the Korean people sincerely supported socialist construction in Cuba.

Therefore, Fidel Castro stressed that it was his long-cherished desire to meet Kim Il Sung in person and that a warm helping hand of the Korean people was always extended to Cuba whenever it was undergoing the harshest difficulties.

The Cuban people also gave active support and encouragement to the just cause of the Koreans.

The peoples of the two countries were firmly united as comrades-in-arms in the joint struggle for anti-imperialist independence and socialist construction.

The strategic and comradely ties of friendship and cooperation are being invariably strengthened and developed thanks to the close personal relations between the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un and Cuban President Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez.

The Korean people feel very pleased about the success made by the fraternal Cuban people in the struggle for safeguarding socialism as if it were their own.

Today, Cuba is putting efforts into revitalizing the national economy by exploring all the latent reserves and potentials while overcoming harsh sanctions imposed by the imperialists under the banner of socialism.

This year, it aims to raise its GDP by three percent. To this end, it is going to strengthen socialist state-run businesses preferentially and involve private businesses including medium and small ones into economic activities. It is also planning to stabilize key industries, strengthen ties between economic fields and increase renewable energy sources.  At the same time, it set it forth as its main task to relieve social inequality in the economy, encourage inter-regional competition and promote comprehensive remodelling of socialist state-run businesses.

The Korean people believe that the Cuban party, government and working people will certainly produce good results as they turned out to attain the high goals single-mindedly.