Castro urges West not to subject Russia & China ‘to threats of deploying nuclear weapons’

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro (C), Cuba’s President Raul Castro (L) and Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro attend a gala for Fidel Castro’s 90th birthday at the Karl Marx theatre in Havana, Cuba, August 13, 2016 © Ismael Francisco / Reuters

“Great powers like China and Russia can’t be subjected to threats of deploying nuclear weapons. They are people of great courage and intelligence,” Castro said in his letter, which was published on the website of the Official Body Central Committee of the Communist Party Of Cuba.

Castro also thanked all of his supporters for all their good wishes: “I want to express my deepest gratitude for the shows of respect, greetings and praise that I’ve received in recent days, which give me strength to reciprocate with ideas that I will send to party militants and relevant organizations,” he wrote in his letter.

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Castro led Cuba from 1959 until 2008, when he was forced to step down after suffering a severe gastrointestinal illness.

Castro last spoke to the public in April, when he closed the congress of the Cuban Communist party, which is held every two decades. During his speech, the father of the Cuban revolution urged the country to remain true to its socialist ideals when adopting policies to normalize relations with the US.