Vietnam and Cuba agreed to further strengthen their close bond, special solidarity, and multifaceted cooperation during talks in Hanoi on November 2 between Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Tran Thanh Man and President of the National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez.

Man welcomed Hernandez’s visit, emphasizing that frequent reciprocal visits between the two countries’ leaders play a crucial role in further strengthening and developing the increasingly solid special solidarity between Vietnam and Cuba.

He affirmed that over 64 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the close bond between Vietnam and Cuba nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam and leader Fidel Castro of Cuba has developed significantly, becoming a rare fraternal relationship characterized by high political trust, serving as a model in international relations.

The Party, State, and people of Vietnam place great importance on and are determined to deepen the exemplary and steadfast special relationship between Vietnam and Cuba across all channels and in all fields, Man told his guest.

Hernandez for his part singled out Vietnam as a model for Cuba to learn from, while expressing a desire to promote cooperation between the two countries in various fields such as economics, trade, health care, and agriculture.

Both leaders noted with pleasure that the traditional friendly relationship between Vietnam and Cuba has been continuously strengthened and enhanced across all channels, becoming increasingly profound and substantive in all areas, including politics, economics and trade, and security and defense.

They emphasized that the Vietnam – Cuba Joint Statement released during the recent Cuba visit by General Secretary and President To Lam demonstrated a commitment to continue developing bilateral relations to a new, comprehensive, substantive, effective, and sustainable level.

The two sides exchanged information about the socio-economic situations in their respective countries and spent time discussing specific issues related to socio-economic development that fall within the jurisdiction of their national assemblies.

Man affirmed that Vietnam is closely monitoring the situation in Cuba and, under any circumstances, will always extend its friendly solidarity and strong support to Cuba. He reiterated Vietnam’s consistent stance of calling on the United States to lift its economic and financial embargo as well as policies against Cuba

Hernandez expressed his deep admiration for Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements amid the current global economic challenges, particularly noting that its economic growth rate is projected to reach between 6.82% and 7% this year.

The results achieved by Vietnam serve as a positive signal and a model for all developing and underdeveloped countries worldwide to learn from, demonstrating that the path to socialism can thrive even in a tumultuous and complex world, said the Cuban leader, adding that “For Cuba, in any difficult circumstances, we always look to Vietnam for encouragement and as a development model.”

He hailed Vietnam as a significant investor in Cuba, particularly in the fields of energy and tourism. He expressed a desire for Vietnam to support Cuba in developing renewable energy, and requested that Vietnam share its legislative experiences, especially as Cuba is establishing a business law.

Both host and guest were pleased to witness the positive development in the relationship between the legislative bodies of the two countries, marked by high-level visits and important cooperative activities that have deepened and made their parliamentary relations more effective.

The two leaders praised the successful outcome of the first meeting of the Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in September 2024, saying the results of this meeting were acknowledged by the high-ranking leaders of both countries and incorporated into the Vietnam-Cuba Joint Statement.

The National Assembly of Vietnam hopes to continue strengthening cooperation with the National Assembly of Cuba through new, broader, and more in-depth cooperative mechanisms, Man said.

The two legislatures should continue to exchange delegations at various levels to share professional experiences in the areas of legislation, oversight, and decision-making on important national issues, he proposed.

He stressed the need for the two sides to support businesses from each country in investing and operating in the other, and to implement pilot policies for new and challenging issues that have no precedents in each country’s legal framework.

The two legislative bodies should continue their close coordination at international multilateral forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and other parliamentary organizations of which both are members, while sharing and supporting each other’s positions on regional and international issues of mutual concern, Man proposed.

Agreeing with Man’s proposals, Hernandez emphasized the need to promote exchanges and cooperation between localities and friendship groups, as well as to coordinate preparations for organizing the second meeting of the Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in Vietnam next year.

On this occasion, he extended a warm invitation to Man to visit Cuba soon, and the invitation was accepted with pleasure.

VOV