PM Chinh expressed joy at the constant development of Vietnam-Cuba ties over the past years, noting that even during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020-2021, the two countries held regular phone and online talks, and a visit by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Cuba in September 2021. He also thanked Cuba for providing timely and effective support for Vietnam in its fight against the pandemic.

The Vietnamese PM appreciated new developments in bilateral cooperation, especially in agriculture, investment and health care as well as the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

PM Manuel Marrero Cruz congratulated Vietnam on its socio-economic recovery and development after putting the pandemic under control and wished to learn from the Southeast Asian country's experience in the field.

Cuba always treasures and wishes to further deepen the special traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam, he said.

The two sides agreed to maintain dialogues and the exchange of delegations at high level and between ministries, sectors, localities and businesses while improving the efficiency of bilateral cooperation via mechanisms such as theoretical workshop between the two Parties, and the Inter-Governmental Committee on Economic, Scientific-Technological Cooperation.

On the occasion, PM Chinh announced the Vietnamese Party and State’s decision on presenting Cuban people 5,000 tonnes of rice to help them overcome recent socio-economic difficulties.

The Cuban PM thanked the Vietnamese Party, State and people for giving support to Cuba, especially the help following the fire at fuel storage facility in Matanzas province on August 5,  and the rice aid this time.

The two PMs discussed measures to enhance practical and effective coordination in politics-diplomacy, national defence-security, trade-investment, agriculture, health care, education-training, toward bringing economic ties on par with the two countries' fine political relations.

They reached consensus on several measures to intensify collaboration in agro-fisheries, food security, health care and pharmaceuticals.

Both sides pledged to offer all possible support to their firms to do business in industrial zone and tourism infrastructure, construction materials, consumer goods, renewable energy and other promising fields.

Sharing Vietnam's experience in socio-economic development, PM Chinh introduced theoretical and practical experience in Vietnam's socialism building, and in building an independent, self-reliance economy with global integration and in responding to global economic challenges. 

On regional and global issues of shared concern, they concurred to continue with consultations and mutual support at international organisations and multilateral forums. They also shared the stance on supporting the settlement of disputes by peaceful means based on respect for international law and the United Nations Charter.

The Cuban side affirmed support for ASEAN’s central role and the wish to strengthen ties with the bloc, evidenced by its entry to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in November 2020.

The Vietnamese side also reaffirmed its consistent stance on demanding the lifting of unilateral economic and financial embargoes on Cuba.

PM Manuel Marrero Cruz invited PM Chinh to pay an official visit to Cuba in the near future. PM Chinh accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Following the talks, PM Chinh, on behalf of the Vietnamese Party and State, presented the Ho Chi Minh Order, the noble distinction of the Vietnamese State, to the Cuban PM.

The two Government leaders also witnessed the signing of three bilateral cooperation agreements, including an Action Plan for the implementation of the Vietnam-Cuba economic agenda for 2023-2025, an MoU on agriculture and food cooperation between the two agriculture ministries, and an Action Plan on medical cooperation between the two health ministries.

Meeting with Party leader, the President and NA Chairman

Cuban PM Cruz met Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong later the same day.

Party leader Trong said he believed that the Cuban PM's visit to Viet Nam would contribute to deepen the special traditional friendship and enhance the cooperation between the two Parties and the two countries.

He proposed the two sides enhance coordination and actively implement relations across all three channels: Party diplomacy, State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy; and effectively carry out cooperation agreements as well as support each other.

Cuban PM Cruz said achievements and experience of Việt Nam in the renewal process served as a motivation and important channel of consultancy for Cuba.

During a meeting in Hanoi on September 29 with Prime Minister of Cuba Manuel Marrero Cruz, who is on a Vietnam visit from September 28 – October 2, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc conveyed sympathy of the Vietnamese Party, State and people to Cuba over the fuel storage facility fire in Matanzas city on August 5 and the consequences of Ian typhoon on September 27.

He also hailed the results of talks between the two Prime Ministers, which he said will contribute to consolidating bilateral ties.

PM Manuel Marrero Cruz stressed that Cuba always treasures and wishes to further deepen the special traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam.

He expressed readiness to learn from Vietnam’s experience in socio-economic development and global integration, as well as its response to global economic challenges.

The two leaders expressed determination to further deepen the exemplary Vietnam-Cuba relationship founded by Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Fidel Castro and nurtured by generations of the two countries’ leaders and people, and agreed to intensify education of young generations in the Vietnam-Cuba special friendship. 

They reached consensus on promoting economic, trade and investment ties to be commensurate with the two countries' fine political relations, with focus on agriculture, health care, finance-banking, sci-tech. They will also continue with consultations and mutual support at international organisations and multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.

At a meeting with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, Cuban PM Cruz affirmed that Cuba highly valued the special traditional friendship between the two countries which was laid by President Hồ Chí Minh and Cuban President Fidel Castro and has been continuously promoted by leaders and people of different generations of the two countries.

Chairman Hue affirmed that the NA and people of Việt Nam always support the revolutionary cause of Cuban people and attach great importance to the solidarity, friendship and special cooperation between the two countries.

The NA of Viet Nam will continue to work closely with the Cuban NA to share experience in law building and supervision work as well as coordinate at regional and international parliamentary forums. 

Source: VNA/VNS