Former Cuban president Fidel Castro on Monday congratulated Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for his “brilliant political victory” in the country’s referendum.

Fidel Castro, who championed a non-payment movement on Latin American foreign debt back in the 1980s, congratulated today the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, for his “political victory” in the referendum in Greece on Sunday that rejected a new austerity plan.

“I warmly congratulate you on your brilliant political victory, the details of which I followed closely via Telesur,” Castro wrote in a letter published today on the official Cubadebate website.

According to HavanaTimes, Fidel also said that Greece “arouses admiration among Latin American and Caribbean peoples,” by the way it defends “its identity and culture” against “external threats,” referring to the current crisis in the euro zone.

Castro, who retired from nearly a half century leading Cuba in 2006, also wished Tsipras “the greatest success”. The Greek PM announced today that his government will return to the negotiating table with international creditors regarding the aid his country needs to stay afloat.

The Greeks rejected on Sunday by more than 61 percent the austerity measures and spending cuts demanded by Greece’s international creditors, led by Germany, to grant more loans.

The victory of the “no” in the referendum called by Tsipras has raised fears that Greece will have to leave the euro, the common currency of the European Union (EU).

Raul Castro, the current president of Cuba, also congratulated Tsipras today. The “no” vote in the referendum “shows the majority support of the Greek people to the courageous policy of the government over which you preside,” wrote the younger brother of Fidel Castro.

Other Latin American leaders including Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, and Bolivia’s Evo Morales, also publicly expressed support for Tsipras.

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