Vietnam always accompanies and supports Cuba to the best of its ability, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed in his meeting with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, who is on a five-day visit to Vietnam starting Wednesday. 

At his meeting with the Cuban premier in Hanoi on Thursday evening, Party General Secretary Trong also shared the challenges that Cuba is facing, especially those caused by the U.S. embargo and the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He highly appreciated PM Marrero’s visit to Vietnam, saying that it will contribute to deepening the special traditional friendship as well as strengthening cooperation ties between the two countries.

Party General Secretary Trong suggested that the two sides enhance coordination and actively boost relations across all three channels, namely Party diplomacy, state diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy, while effectively implementing cooperation agreements, according to national radio station Voice of Vietnam.

Vietnam stands side by side with and supports Cuba to its best possible capacity, the Vietnamese Party leader told his guest.

PM Cruz expressed his delight to visit Vietnam, extended his thanks to the warm welcome by the Vietnamese leaders and people, and briefed the host about the Cuban situation.

The guest highly valued the great achievements Vietnam has gained over the past years, emphasizing that such achievements serve as encouragement and reference for Cuba, the Vietnam News Agency cited Cruz as saying.

Cruz also conveyed the invitations of President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel and other Cuban leaders to General Secretary Trong to visit Cuba at an appropriate time.

On the same day, the Cuban PM also had separate talks with Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Like the Party leader, Phuc told his guest the same message that Vietnam will support Cuba to the extent possible, including helping the Latin American country ensure food security.

Phuc conveyed the sympathy of the Vietnamese Party, state, and people to Cuba over the fuel storage facility fire in Matanzas City on August 5 and the damage caused by Typhoon Ian on Tuesday.

Phuc also asked the Cuban government to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to feel secure while investing in the country.

In his meeting with PM Cruz, legislature chief Hue emphasized that the Vietnamese National Assembly will continue to work closely with the Cuban counterpart, and affirmed that Vietnam values, preserves, and contributes to promoting the solidarity, friendship, and special cooperation relations between Vietnam and Cuba.

The Cuban PM extended his separate thanks to Phuc and Hue for their enthusiastic welcome to him and the Cuban delegation.

He expressed with Phuc his appreciation to Vietnam for sharing difficulties with Cuba in the COVID-19 fight, while telling Hue that Cuba highly appreciates the special traditional friendship between the two countries, whose foundation was laid by late Vietnamese State President Ho Chi Minh and late Cuban President Fidel Castro, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Earlier, at his meeting with PM Cruz on Thursday morning, Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh informed the guest that Vietnam would offer the Cuban people 5,000 metric tons of rice as a contribution to Cuba’s efforts to overcome socio-economic difficulties, on the traditional spirit of mutual aid between the two nations.

The ongoing visit by Cuban PM Cruz is of great significance as it marks the first time after 49 years that a Cuban prime minister has visited Vietnam after this position was restored thanks to the new Cuban Constitution adopted in 2019, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Thanh Tung.

Vietnam and Cuba have seen their bilateral relations develop fruitfully since the two countries established diplomatic ties on December 2, 1960, after the success of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, 1959.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!