Jayne O'Donnell

USA TODAY

Age certainly doesn't change everything.

Fidel Castro marked his 90th birthday Saturday with a long letter to Cubans that reiterated the former president's disdain for President Obama.

Castro took issue with Obama for not apologizing to the Japanese people during Obama's May speech in Hiroshima. Castro wrote that Obama's address to the Japanese people was "lacking stature."

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Castro, whose letter was posted in state media, also thanked Cubans for their continued support and well wishes on his birthday. His wide-ranging letter included remembrances of his early life in eastern Cuba, right down to the geology and plant life. He also mentioned his father's death shortly before he overthrew U.S-backed strongman Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

Castro left office 10 years ago due to illness and has largely been out of public view. He was last seen in public in April.

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Castro wrote a letter after Obama visited Cuba in March, criticizing Obama's knowledge of Cuban history because he urged Cubans to look toward the future. Obama was the first president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.

In that letter, Castro declared: "We don't need the empire to give us anything."

On the other hand, Castro received a congratulatory call from Russian President Vladimir Putin on his birthday, according to the Russian leader's office.

Contributing: Associated Press