Floral offerings from Army General Raúl Castro Ruz and Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba's Central Committee and President of the Republic, accompany the funeral rites of Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez during today's popular tribute at the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR).

In the Granma Hall of the Sierra Maestra building, the urn with his ashes rests, alongside his decorations and the titles of Hero of the Republic and Hero of Labor, as well as floral offerings from family members, the Cuban people, and the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution. At the foot of the urn, by family decision, rests another urn containing the lone-star flag that brought Che Guevara's remains from Bolivia to Santa Clara in 1997.

The diplomatic corps, leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, representatives of the Party, the Government, and the people are paying homage this morning to the revolutionary combatant, who passed away on Sunday. He will be laid to rest on Thursday at the Las Villas Front mausoleum in the Ernesto Che Guevara Sculptural Complex in central Cuba.

All Cuba pays tribute today to the Commander of the Revolution, born in Artemisa in 1932, who assaulted the Moncada barracks, was a Granma expeditionary, a founder of the Rebel Army, and a member of Column 8 during the invasion of the west. He served as Minister of the Interior and founded State Security. He was a friend of Che Guevara, Fidel, and Raúl, to whom he always dedicated his utmost loyalty.