CARACAS, January 2 (Itar-Tass) – President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who is taking a course of treatment for cancer at a clinic in Havana, has congratulated the Cuban political leadership and rank-and-file people on the occasion of the 54th anniversary since the Socialist revolution, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said.

“Hugo Chavez, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, greets the fraternal people of Cuba and President Raul Castro personally on the 54th anniversary since the victory of the Cuban revolution,” the ministry said in a statement Monday.

“The crucial circumstances arising from the struggle for life have bound the Cuban and Bolivarian revolutions by unbreakable bonds,” the statement said.

“Cuba has earned a high international reputation across the world thanks to its experience with a search for social justice, as well as for the struggle for human dignity.”

“We all of us say together with Chavez today: Long live Fidel, long live Raul, long live Cuba and its revolution,” the statement said in conclusion.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro who arrived in Cuba to see Chavez after an extremely intricate surgery, said earlier Chavez’s health had deteriorated.

However, Science and Technology Minister Jorge Arreaza, who is Chavez’s son in law, said Monday Chavez had had a quiet night, told reporters the President’s status had improved.