Message of Co-President-Comandante Daniel at XIII Extraordinary Summit
of the Heads of State and Government of ALBA-TCP
August 20th 2025
Good evening, beloved Brother President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and worthy successor of Bolivar and Chávez.
What are the ALBA Countries saying at this moment as we are gathered here? We have not launched any bombs, or missile, or issued threats; but what is indeed clear, what is in plain view, is that, on Wednesday, August 20th at 16:06 hours, August 20th 2025, the Israeli Defense Forces have begun their offensive on Gaza City, the same Israeli Press reports with reference to military sources:
"Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday authorized the IDF's Plan to take control of Gaza City. The Operation called “Chariots of Gideon”, was approved after an evaluation meeting of the military leadership.”
These are the policies... the policies of the Imperialist Powers which are arming the Israeli rulers, who are bent on destroying the Palestinian People, the People of Gaza. And they say it with great calm. But there are no major reactions in the world, no major reactions on the part of the so-called democratic countries, the European democratic Powers, much less the US rulers who feed with armaments the strategy to dominate that entire area; the goal is not only Gaza, the goal is to dominate that entire region, and the Imperialists of the Earth want it for themselves.
There are really two positions, two attitudes, totally contrasting: On the one hand, the cries of war, cries to murder, to continue killing children, to continue starving people in the area of Gaza. And, on the other hand, there are voices, it is true, sensitive voices that protest, but whose protests have no echo in international organizations, much less in the United Nations. They have no echo.
And on the other hand, not only do they attack, destroy and murder, in those regions, but also they attack and threaten our Region, Latin America and the Caribbean, which has been declared a Zone of Peace, we declared it that way, we decided it that way, and that is how we behave and act.
Despite the contradictions that may exist, despite the differences that may occur, in Latin America and the Caribbean, after all, we have been making our way, we have been advancing, overcoming the aggression of those who are destroying the People of Gaza, there; we have overcome blockades, sanctions, threats of all kinds.
And, finally, they have now issued a threat that is incredible, not the threat as such, because those who issue it have always acted with force, with violence, dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; rather, what is incredible is the way, which I would describe as submissive, in which the international community reacts.
How is it possible that the whole of Latin America, a Territory of Peace, has not reacted unanimously and strongly, to the threat launched by the Neros in Washington, offering a reward of millions of dollars for the life of the Legitimate President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela?
Of course, the Bolivarian People have reacted, of course, the Peoples of ALBA have reacted, the Peoples most committed to the defense of the Dignity and Sovereignty of our countries; but there has been no forceful response from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, there has not, and that is cowardice, that is submission, that is surrender. Because today they are acting against Venezuela but tomorrow they will try doing so with other Countries which today appear submissive to their policies, to the policies of imperialism.
And so we make a call to join forces, we have to join forces, join forces from the grassroots, from our Peoples, such that the Dignity of Latin America’s rulers steps up to defend the Sovereignty of their own Peoples. Because the threat, the aggression against the President of Venezuela, Brother Nicolás Maduro Moros, is more than just a threat to the Sovereignty of Venezuela, it is a threat to the Sovereignty of all of Latin America and the Caribbean, and that cannot be allowed to pass.
I would like to take a short tour of what history has been. Where when we have come together, we have achieved great Victories. Where the Peoples of the South united, under the Banner of Bolivar, of Sucre, under the banner of the Liberators, it was possible to defeat the greatest military power that had been installed in this Region, one that seemed impregnable. And that defeat was achieved, and later they did not succeed, the Spaniards did not succeed, they did not even try to retake what had been their colony, their immense colony in Latin America and the Caribbean.
And in Nicaragua, in the year 1855, newly independent Nicaragua from Spain, Central America became independent in the year 1821, already then in the year 1855 the Imperialists wanted to seize Nicaragua, and after Nicaragua all of Central America, and to go on to Mexico. That was a strategy they had back in the United States, in the wars between the North and the South, the racist forces of the South that were betting on expanding the North American territory, at the expense of Mexico’s territory, at the expense of Central American territories.
And in those years an expedition of mercenaries came to Nicaragua, well armed, well equipped, and they came to support a company that had obtained contracts with the then Liberal government, so that the right to use the Canal route through Nicaragua would be given to that company.
It was the time of the Gold Rush when thousands of the US people crossed from the East Coast to the West Coast, and thousands of US people passed through Nicaragua sailing along the Río San Juan, across the Lake, and finally arriving at the Rivas staging post, a small stretch of land that they managed to cross by loading the passengers who came in big ships, loading them on stagecoaches. The stagecoaches then traveled 20 kilometers and on the other side was another big ship waiting to take them to the West Coast.
And the filibusters who had been hired by a Liberal President, what they did was simply to ignore the Liberal President; they took Power, called Elections, organized by themselves, and from there the leader of their Expedition, William Walker, was elected President of Nicaragua, recognized at that time by the US State Department, with an ambassador presenting their credentials there in Washington.
But the rebellion of the People came, of the Indians, of the Peasants, of the Patriots, who were not illustrious Warriors, but simply Men and Women who had real Dignity and Courage to face that powerful force. And the fighting began, the filibusters were defeated, and with the fall of a filibuster Colonel, that sowed fear among them, and in the end they were defeated and expelled from Nicaragua.
In those circumstances how much courage is needed in a people to face an enemy as powerful as that. And then, there were Yankee troops again in Nicaragua, in the year 1912, after they had overthrown a Liberal Government and were installed in Nicaragua again. But they were confronted by a Patriot, Benjamin Zeledón, and who had Men and Women of Dignity who accompanied him in battle, and died fighting.
And Sandino, who saw that fighting and saw how Zeledón was paraded through the streets on a cart, so that people would be afraid and would not dare to confront the Yankees; Sandino, instead, did take courage and when the Yankee troops were there at that time, Sandino wrote:
"I accept the invitation to the struggle and I take it on myself and, to the challenge of the cowardly invader and the traitors of my Nation, I answer with my call to battle, for my breast and those of my soldiers will form walls where the legions of Nicaragua’s enemies will come crashing down. The last of my soldiers, who are the soldiers of Nicaragua’s freedom, may die, but first more than a battalion of yours, blond invader, will have bitten the dust of my rugged mountains.”
With that message Sandino started a battle that lasted eight years, where the Yankees used airplanes, bombed, and more troops came and more troops came, and yet more troops came, over eight years, until they had to withdraw and accept that they could not subjugate, they could not defeat Sandino.
And Sandino said to them in those moments of combat: "Come, you bunch of morphinomaniacs; coming to murder us in our own land, for I am waiting for you on firm ground...”
Bear in mind that Sandino was stating back then how the Yankees were trying to contaminate the Patriots, the People, via drug trafficking, and already back then in the United States they were trafficking morphine, they were already trafficking.
It was discovered even at that time how American soldiers and officers, on missions in Asia, would come back with morphine to deal drugs in the United States. In other words, the ones who started the drug trafficking business back then were the United States and they started it with morphine.
And Sandino saw this and stated it, he told them: "Come, you bunch of morphine addicts"; because he was sure that they were all coming sedated with morphine so as to have enough courage to fight Sandino.
We now, in fact, face a battle that we have not sought for ourselves. What we have sought is Peace and we have fought for Peace, we seek understanding, dialogue, but the Yankee responds with more coup attempts, they respond by trying to suffocate the Sister Republic of Cuba. Our solidarity with the People of Cuba, Miguel; our Solidarity with the People of Fidel, of Raúl, with that Heroic People.
By the way, why is it that the Imperialists are terrified of the emergence of Progressive, Revolutionary Governments? It’s that they do not lose sight of what happened as a result of the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution.
When the Cuban Revolution triumphed it was truly a real surprise for the Imperialists, they did not expect the Cuban Revolution to triumph. But the Cuban Revolution triumphed and managed to consolidate itself under the leadership of Comandante Fidel.
The Cuban Revolution triumphed in the year 1959, 10 years passed, and already by 1969 in Latin America there was a lot of Solidarity with the Cuban Revolution, many wanting to fight; that is to say, the example of the Resistance of the Cuban Revolution gave strength to the region’s Peoples and they fought everywhere, and we fought here in Nicaragua too, so that 20 years after the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution, the Sandinista Revolution triumphed in '79... ‘59 to ‘79.
That is what the Imperialists are terrified of, the Strength of the Peoples when they decide to fight and when there are Leaders like Chávez, in the case of Venezuela, who took head-on the daunting task, the challenge, to fight for Peace, to fight for the Benefit of the Peoples. Chavez never planned any war, nor Nicolas either.
But there is the example that Revolutions present, there is the example of the Cuban Revolution and there is the example of the Sandinista Revolution. Then they must be liquidated, so that the Imperialists can take over the Sovereignty of the Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. But They Won't Prevail! They Could Not Prevail, Nor Will They!
So many attempts against Cuba, so many attempts against Venezuela, so many attempts against Nicaragua... But They Could Not Prevail, Nor Will They! And today more than ever, now that we are more aware each day of the enemy we face and when we have also learned to advance, in the midst of difficulties, in the midst of blockades, in the midst of sanctions, we have managed to advance, we have managed to improve the living conditions of our Peoples.
Venezuela has really managed to move forward. Here in Nicaragua we have managed to defend Peace, and by defending Peace we are making progress improving social, economic, productive, educational, health conditions, and so on.
And Cuba is the strongest, most steadfast Heroic Example that we have, so we have to give it all our Solidarity, all our support, so that we can overcome this moment of challenge. Because it is a more serious challenge that we have facing us right now, a greater challenge but, I am sure, we will emerge victorious from this greater challenge, and we will achieve greater stability and more Peace, for the benefit of our Peoples.
Thank You, beloved Brothers and Sisters.