"The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, hosted a ceremony on Friday at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas to honour members of the Cuba-Venezuela International Brigade for their work in various social areas and for their solidarity cooperation between the two countries. In his address, Maduro highlighted Cuba's historic role in international solidarity missions and stressed that the strategic cooperation between Caracas and Havana has become a reference of mutual support in the face of social and humanitarian challenges. "Solidarity is the natural and perfect language between Cuba and Venezuela. Cuba is the world champion of solidarity. Solidarity is the future of humanity," Maduro said. He also stated that the alliance between the Cuban and Venezuelan peoples represents a fundamental basis for regional integration, while also calling for strengthening unity in Latin America and the Caribbean in the face of conflicts and external pressures. "The people of Cuba, the people of Venezuela. We are the most solid foundation for the reunification of all Latin America and the Caribbean, and we must demonstrate that our continent cannot be war, nor military threat, nor colonialism, nor slavery," Maduro noted. This is in reference to the tense relationship with the United States since August, a period during which the administration of Donald Trump ordered the deployment of military resources in the Caribbean Sea as part of an operation against drug trafficking and organised crime. These actions have included the seizure of three vessels transporting Venezuelan crude oil, arguing that they are part of a clandestine fleet. Finally, Maduro reiterated the importance of sovereignty, assuring that both Venezuela and Cuba maintain a firm stance against any form of foreign domination. "The time of crawling to the orders of imperial powers. That time is long gone," he said. The event concluded with the presentation of medals and a formal greeting between members of the delegation and the authorities, reaffirming Venezuela's and Cuba's commitment to maintaining bilateral cooperation."