Top leaders of Vietnam, Cuba hold talks in Havana

The talks between General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President of Vietnam To Lam and First Secretary of the PCC Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez in Havana on September 26. (Photo: VNA)

The host stressed that the first state visit to Cuba by Lam as the top leader of the Vietnamese Party and State holds special significance as it reflects the great respect for relations and the revolutionary solidarity between the two Parties and the two countries, helping intensify the trust and make practical improvements in the bilateral ties in the coming time.

The Party, State, and people of Cuba extremely treasure the traditional relationship as well as the special and faithful friendship with Vietnam, and will maintain the solidarity with the latter during the socialist-oriented national development cause, he affirmed.

Lam said his visit to Cuba once again demonstrates that the Party, State, and people of Vietnam attach importance to and are strongly determined to enhance and improve the effectiveness of the two sides’ close-knit comradeship and fraternal relationship that is exemplary in international relations, along with the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties and the two countries.

Miguel Diaz-Canel appreciated the precious support and assistance from the Vietnamese Party, State, and people for their Cuban counterparts during national construction and protection, including the aid in terms of food security. He also informed his guest about the recent situation of Cuba.

The Vietnamese leader affirmed that Vietnam always pays attention to and follows each development step of Cuba. It respects the PCC’s enormous and constant efforts in implementing the resolution of the 8th National PCC Congress. It also highly values the policies and measures Cuba has taken, including the ideological work, the struggle for peace, the update of the socio-economic development model, and the settlement of difficulties and challenges.

The two leaders compared notes on the relations between the two Parties and two countries, and expressed their delight at the fruitful development of the bilateral ties at all levels and in all sectors.

They emphasised similarities between Vietnam and Cuba in history, spirit, and the path toward socialism, as well as the close relationship founded and nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro.

General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President of Vietnam To Lam at the talks in Havana on September 26. (Photo: VNA)

Both leaders affirmed their resolve to advance the Vietnam-Cuba traditional solidarity, special friendship, and comprehensive cooperation to a new height, making the relationship more comprehensive, practical, effective, and sustainable, in the spirit of companionship, cooperation, and mutual development, for the cause of development, socialism building, for the sake of the two nations' people, and for peace, cooperation, and development in each region and the world at large.

In that spirit, they agreed to enhance mutual understanding, exchange, and coordination in political and strategic issues, and stressed the need to raise the efficiency of visits and exchanges, especially those at the high level and through flexible forms.

The leaders shared the view that the relationship between the two Parties serves as the political foundation that strategically orients the bilateral relations in other spheres. They also concurred to strengthen cooperation and exchanges between the advisory bodies of the two Parties in the sharing of experience and theory on socialism and Party building.

The two leaders concurred to coordinate with each other to well organise the 6th theoretical symposium between the two Parties and the second international conference on the revolutionary visions of President Ho Chi Minh and Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro as well as many other cooperation activities in the time ahead.

They laid stress on improving the efficacy of the Vietnam-Cuba Intergovernmental Committee and other mechanisms in the areas of defence, security and foreign affairs.

First Secretary of the PCC Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez speaks at the talks in Havana on September 26. (Photo: VNA)

The two sides reached consensus on strengthening and deepening economic cooperation, and joining hands to study new cooperation methods, remove roadblocks and capitalise on the trade agreements between the two countries so as to raise their two-way trade revenue to 500 million USD in the next five years. They also agreed to create necessary conditions for sustainable business activities of Vietnamese firms in Cuba in accordance with the Caribbean nation’s policy on investment attraction for economic development.

The leaders said they support competent agencies of both sides to bolster coordination in researching an agricultural production cooperation model, helping Cuba improve productivity and production capacity while ensuring food security.

Additionally, they were unanimous about promoting and expanding collaboration across the fields of energy, biotech, healthcare, tourism, telecommunications and construction as well as bolstering cooperation between localities and people of the two nations.

The two leaders agreed to continue actively assisting and supporting each other at international organisations and forums.

They highlighted the significance of maintaining peace, stability and development; agreed that international disputes must be settled by peaceful measures on the basis of respect for international law and the UN Charter, and held that relations among nations must be built on the basis of respect for independence, sovereignty, equality, self-determination of peoples and the fundamental principles of international law, including respect for each other's territorial integrity and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

The Vietnamese and Cuban leaders concurred to direct agencies, organisations and localities of the two countries to widely popularise and effectively implement common perceptions and results of the visit, and soon turn them into specific results.

Lam invited Miguel Diaz-Canel to visit Vietnam in 2025 on the occasion of the 65th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Cuba (December 12, 1960 - 2025) and the 50th anniversary of the Southern Liberation and National Reunification of Vietnam (April 30, 1975 - 2025). The Cuban leader accepted the invitation with pleasure.

The Vietnamese and Cuban leaders witness the signing of a cooperation document between the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations and the PCC Central Committee’s Department of International Relations after their talks in Havana on September 26. (Photo: VNA)

On the occasion, Lam informed his host that the Vietnamese Party, State, and people have donated 10,000 tonnes of rice to the Cuban people, the CPV Central Committee has presented 500 computers to the PCC Central Committee, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour has sent gifts to the Central Union of Cuban Workers, and several Vietnamese localities have also given presents to the Cuban people.

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of seven cooperation agreements between ministries and localities of the two countries. They include a coordination plan between the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations and the PCC Central Committee’s Department for External Relations; a cooperation agreement between the CPV Central Committee’s Economic Commission and the PCC Central Committee’s economics and production department; a cooperation agreement between the Communist Review of Vietnam and the Cuba Socialist Magazine; a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the State Bank of Vietnam and the Central Bank of Cuba; an agreement to establish friendly and cooperative relations between Vinh Phuc province and Cuba’s Mayabeque province; an MoU of cooperation between the People's Committee of Quang Tri province and the Ministry of Public Health of Cuba; and a cooperation document between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the Ministry of Agriculture of Cuba.

* On the same day, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam met with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and President of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez

Party General Secretary and President To Lam and Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz discussed in depth measures to improve the effectiveness of Vietnam - Cuba collaboration in all fields. They underlined that the two governments need to continue optimising existing cooperation mechanisms, including the intergovernmental committee on economic, sciencetific-technological cooperation, consider establishing new mechanisms and actively implement the existing agreements while expanding collaboration between ministries, agencies, and localities in various fields, in flexible forms.

Party General Secretary and President To Lam and President of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez shared the view on contributions of the legislatures to relations between the two Parties, States, and people of Vietnam and Cuba at their meeting in Havana.

VNA