On October 17, 1997, Cuban President Fidel Castro spoke at the official ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of Che Guevara's death, during which his remains and those of another six combatants from Bolivia, Cuba and Peru that had formed part of Che's guerrilla in Bolivia were transferred to the niches inside the memorial.

The speech was published in the October 18 edition of the Cuban daily Granma.

"...With deep emotion, we are living one of those instants that rarely repeat themselves. We have not come to say farewell to Che and his heroic comrades. We have come to receive them. I see Che and his men as a reinforcement, as a detachment of invincible fighters that, this time, includes not only Cubans but also Latin Americans who have come to struggle beside us and to write new pages of history and of glory. I also see Che as a moral giant, who grows taller each day, whose image, strength, and influence have multiplied throughout the world. How could he fit under a tombstone? How could he fit in this plaza? How could he fit only in our beloved but small island? Only in the world of which he dreamed, for which he lived and for which he fought is there space enough for him."