Building on and developing special solidarity and all-around cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba

As the first visit to Vietnam made by President Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez, this is an important event in the relations between the two countries, marking the continuation and development of the special friendship, close solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba.

Located in the Western hemisphere, Cuba is rich in mineral potential and fertile soil, suitable for the cultivation of industrial crops and cattle breeding, while possessing many natural and cultural conditions to develop tourism. The socio-political situation of Cuba remains stable. In April 2016, the seventh Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba pushed for a step towards thought renovation, adopting the draft conceptualisation of Cuba's socio-economic model and continuing to update the economic model, with the state economy playing a key role, taking into account an indispensable role of market factors. Cuba successfully held their ninth-tenure parliamentary elections, electing a new board of leadership in the direction of gradually transferring the generation of senior leaders. The Caribbean island nation has implemented a foreign policy of dynamism, resolutely combating imperialism and actively supporting the revolutionary movements for national liberation and the struggle for peace, national independence, democracy and socialism.

Vietnam and Cuba established diplomatic relations on December 2, 1960. The Vietnamese people always keep in mind that during the anti-US resistance war for national salvation, Cuba always took the lead in international movements in support of Vietnam, and was the first nation in the world to recognise the National Liberation Front for South Vietnam. Cuba also provided economic and military assistance to Vietnam during the critical moments of the resistance war.

Over the past few years, the relations between Vietnam and Cuba have been constantly strengthened and accelerated in all fields, especially politics-diplomacy, economics-trade, security-defence, agriculture, construction, education, healthcare, biotechnology, transport, culture and sports. The two sides have maintained the exchange of delegations at all levels, prominently the visit to Cuba made by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in March 2018. The Cuban people welcomed the Vietnamese Party leader with the highest rituals and gave warm and hospitable sentiments to the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation. The two sides affirmed their determination to continue inheriting and strongly promoting the fine traditions, while bringing the special Vietnam-Cuba relations into a new stage of development with greater depth and efficiency. In September 2018, the Vice President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers of Cuba Salvador Valdes Mesa visited Vietnam, attending the activities marking 45 years of Cuban leader Fidel Castro's visit to the southern liberation area of Vietnam, and honouring the special relations between Vietnam and Cuba and comrade Fidel Castro's contributions, thus contributing to enhancing the tradition of solidarity between the two countries.

The two sides have maintained the theoretical workshop mechanism between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Communist Party of Cuba, while effectively implementing the mechanisms of the intergovernmental cooperation committee, political consultation, and defence policy dialogue, among others. Bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation has shown positive progress, with the projects to support Cuba in agricultural production development generating positive results and continually expanding. The two countries have also maintained their coordination and mutual support in international organisations and multilateral forums, especially in the United Nations. Vietnam pledges its support of Cuba's candidacy for the 2021-2023 Human Rights Council, while Cuba affirmed its support for Vietnam's candidacy for a nonpermanent membership of the 2020-2021 UN Security Council. Vietnam maintains consistent support for the abolition of the US economic embargo against Cuba.

In the context of the constantly growing Vietnam-Cuba ties, the official friendly visit to Vietnam by Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez offers a chance for leaders of the two countries to discuss orientations and measures to further consolidate, build on and develop the relations between the two sides.

The visit also reflects Vietnam's consistent policy of unceasingly developing and tightening the friendly relations, faithful solidarity, mutual trust, and all-around cooperation between the Parties, States and people of Vietnam and Cuba. It also affirms the strong support of the Party, State and people of Vietnam to the revolutionary cause of the Party, State and people of Cuba.

May the official friendly visit to Vietnam by Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez be a success, working to build on and develop the special relations and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

(Source: Nhandan)