Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez presided over a moving ceremony on Thursday at the Eclectic Monument of the Bolivarian National Guard Military Academy in Caracas, honoring the memory and sacrifice of soldiers and civilians killed on January 3 in the illegal bombing carried out by the US regime in an operation aimed at abducting President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. Those wounded that day were also honored.
During the ceremony, wreaths, medals, and posthumous decorations were presented to the families of 39 officers and professional troops who were posthumously promoted for their heroism in fulfillment of their oath. The tribute included military personnel of various ranks and civilians who were victims of the imperialist aggression.
Millions of Venezuelans followed the ceremony with tears on their faces, sharing the visible pain of the relatives of the fallen soldiers, as reported by Orinoco Tribune. “The sentiment of being violated is now part of the Venezuelan soul, and this has been translated into a stronger anti-imperialist national sentiment,” said Orinoco Tribune’s editor, Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza.
The ceremony also paid tribute to the 32 Cuban soldiers and officials who were also killed defending Venezuela on January 3. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and the Cuban ambassador to Venezuela, Jorge Luis Mayo Fernández, took part in the wreath-laying ceremony on behalf of these fallen soldiers.
Lessons of diplomacy
“I speak to the people of the United States: the people of Venezuela did not deserve this vile, warmongering aggression from a nuclear power,” said Acting President Delcy Rodríguez. “I said yesterday that it has become a stain on our relations and on our history. If I could say anything, it is not about revenge, but rather about vindication. We will give lessons and examples of what the Bolivarian Diplomacy of Peace in international action truly means.”
She emphasized that “our men and women who fell in combat are heroes and heroines of the homeland of Simón Bolívar, and the brothers of Cuba, sons of Martí and Fidel, are also heroes and heroines of this homeland, because as one people they fought in defense against an illegal and illegitimate aggression.”
“We are not warmongers; we are men and women of the state, lessons we learned from Bolívar: what it means to have dignity, to have moral superiority, and to have spiritual wealth,” she noted.
Rodríguez invoked the military doctrine of the nation’s father, Simón Bolívar, emphasizing that the Venezuelan Army has been trained for defense, not war. “Bolívar never taught the use of supremacy to humiliate anyone. There was always respect for the dignity of the adversary,” she stated, recalling Bolívar’s maxim: “Liberty is the only objective worthy of the sacrifice of men.”
The Chavista leader reiterated that the concept of homeland in Venezuela transcends borders and is based on love, reaffirming that the country will continue to set an example of dignity before the world, keeping its head held high and its spirit unyielding in the face of any attempt at forced subordination.
Rodríguez also emphasized that the men and women of the Venezuelan armed forces wear their uniforms to protect the republic and defend national morale. In this regard, she elevated to the status of heroes of the homeland not only the fallen Venezuelan fighters, but also the Cuban brothers and sisters who died defending Venezuelan soil, sons of Martí and the commander of the Revolution, Fidel Castro.
Victims committee
Rodríguez announced the creation of a commission to provide comprehensive support to the families of the fallen heroes. “I have seen in the faces of the mothers—I saw the face of a woman, my mother, when my father was murdered. In the faces of the wives of the fallen, I have seen the face of my mother, who also lost a husband, and in the faces of the girls and boys who lost their fathers, I have seen the faces of Jorge and me, when we also lost our father as children, vilely murdered,” she said.
She reaffirmed her absolute loyalty to the constitutional order and to President Nicolás Maduro: “We have historical dignity, and we have commitment and loyalty to President Nicolás Maduro, who has been kidnapped. We have loyalty to the first lady, Deputy Cilia Flores, and we have committed ourselves to not rest until we see them free, back home, and back in their homeland.”
The acting president also announced the construction of a memorial to those who refused to surrender to foreign aggression. “Rest assured that Venezuela stands with us on this journey, and that is why we have decided to build a monument in honor of our heroes, heroines, and martyrs,” she added.
At the closing of her speech, she declared, “Honor and glory to the men and women who died in combat. No one surrendered here! There was combat here, combat for this homeland, for our Liberators, for Miranda, Sucre, Ribas, for Urdaneta, for Manuela Sáenz, for Ezequiel Zamora, for our Liberator Father Simón Bolívar. There was combat here for Chávez, and there was combat for Venezuela!”
High-ranking military officers were present, including General Vladimir Padrino and other members of the high military command.
Cuba’s foreign minister
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez pledged the joint struggle of both nations to ensure the release of the Venezuelan president and his wife, as well as the victory of the Revolution that both countries lead.
“I came from Cuba to pay an emotional tribute to the Venezuelan combatants who fell in combat in defense of the Bolivarian and Chavista Revolution and the sacred Venezuelan homeland,” Minister Rodríguez stated before Delcy Rodríguez and leaders of the Bolivarian National Armed Force.
In his speech, he highlighted the work of the Cuban troops who, “in unequal combat, confronted the imperialist enemy that was desecrating the sovereignty of the Venezuelan homeland and protecting the constitutional president, Nicolás Maduro.” The Cuban foreign minister extended a message of “honor and glory” to those who fell, and of “love and peace” to the Venezuelans killed during the US military attacks.
In the political and diplomatic sphere, Minister Rodríguez shared the conviction that both revolutions, the Bolivarian and the Cuban, are beacons for the liberation of Latin America. This led him to remember Army General Raúl Castro, the Eternal Commander Hugo Chávez, and President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who, loyal to the thought of Bolívar and Martí, have paved the way in the construction of the emancipation of the peoples.
“Hasta la victoria siempre, venceremos!” he said after finishing his speech to the families of the military personnel and civilians who gave their lives during the imperial armed aggression.
List of martyrs honored:
• First Lieutenant Christopher Barreto
• Second Sergeant Major Andrés Barina
• Third Sergeant Major Pedro Carrillo
• Third Sergeant Major Jesus Martinez
• Third Sergeant Major Brayan Núñez
• Third Sergeant Major Adrián Robles
• Third Sergeant Major César García
• Third Sergeant Major Yoicar Brito
• Third Sergeant Major Luis Baraco
• Third Sergeant Major Eduardo Peraza
• Third Sergeant Major of the Militia José Rodríguez
• First Sergeant Elietnis Camacho
• First Sergeant Crisbel Gómez
• First Sergeant Angel Divas
• First Sergeant Anahís Molina
• First Sergeant Alejandra Oliveros
• First Sergeant José Vera
• First Sergeant Richard Rodriguez
• First Sergeant Fabián Estévez
• First Sergeant Ramón Martínez
• First Sergeant Jonathan Cordero
• Second Sergeant Saúl Pereira
• Second Sergeant Carlos Mata
• Second Sergeant Victor Hernandez
• Second Sergeant Pedro Carruido
• Second Sergeant Joel García
• Second Sergeant José Sucre
• Second Sergeant Ezequiel Monjes
• Second Sergeant Luis López
• Second Sergeant Fran Gerson Hurtado
• Second Sergeant Jean Pierre Parra
• Second Sergeant José Ilarraza
• Second Sergeant Jerry Aguilera
• Second Sergeant Franco Contreras
• Second Sergeant Isaac Tovar
• Second Sergeant Ángeles Tovar
• Second Sergeant Juan Fernández
• Second Sergeant Kelvin Sojo
• Citizen Johana Sierra
• Citizen Rosa González
• Citizen Lenin Ramirez
• Citizen Javier Soto
• Third Sergeant Major Jesús Alberto Martínez Marantes
Diplomatic contacts
On Friday, Venezuela’s Acting President Rodríguez announced that she had held telephone conversations with the presidents of Colombia, Brazil, and Spain, “in the context of the serious criminal, illegal, and illegitimate aggression perpetrated against Venezuela,” as reported by Alba Ciudad.
“During these exchanges, I provided detailed information about the armed attacks against our territory. These attacks resulted in the murder of over 100 civilians and military personnel, as well as about the serious violations of international law, including the violation of the personal immunity of the constitutional president of the republic, Nicolás Maduro, and First Lady Cilia Flores,” explained Delcy Rodríguez.
“Likewise, we agree on the need to advance a broad bilateral cooperation agenda, based on respect for international law, the sovereignty of states, and dialogue between peoples,” she said.
• Rodríguez gave special thanks to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the people of Brazil “for the support and assistance given to Venezuela in the most critical moments after the aggression suffered.” The US military attack destroyed a major warehouse with insulin doses delivered for free by the Venezuelan government to renal patients. Brazil immediately sent shipments of insulin to solve the emergency.
• With Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Rodríguez reported that “I reaffirmed that Colombia and Venezuela are brother countries, committed to moving forward together to confront and resolve the problems that commonly affect us, based on mutual respect and regional cooperation.”
• In a conversation with Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, Delcy Rodríguez reported that “I thanked him for the courageous stance of the Spanish government in condemning the aggression against Venezuela and expressed our interest in working together on a broad bilateral agenda that is beneficial to both our peoples and governments.”
• “I reaffirmed that Venezuela will continue to confront this aggression through diplomatic channels, faithful to the principles of Bolivarian Diplomacy of Peace as the only path to defending our sovereignty and preserving peace,” said the acting president.
• She also published a statement expressing, on behalf of the Venezuelan government, her deep gratitude to the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and his government for the support given to Venezuela during the grave hours of the unequal and illegitimate aggression against the noble Venezuelan people.
• Rodríguez also reported having a cordial meeting with the ambassador of China, Lan Hu, “to whom we conveyed our sincere gratitude for his condemnation of the abduction of President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, as well as the aggressions against Venezuela. We value China’s firm and consistent position in strongly condemning the serious violation of international law and Venezuelan sovereignty.”
Later, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil reported receiving the Russian ambassador, Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov. “In this meeting, we received a renewed message of solidarity and support from the Russian government toward the Venezuelan people and government, which is currently facing the kidnapping of President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, following an illegal and unjustified military aggression that has claimed the lives of over 100 civilians and military personnel.”
“We agreed on the importance of jointly defending dialogue, diplomacy, and respect for international norms and the sovereignty of nations as the only ways to foster constructive bilateral and international relations. We continue working on the cooperation agenda between our two countries,” Gil wrote on social media.
(Alba Ciudad) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
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