Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh and First Vice President of the Cuban Council of State Salvador Valdes Mesa held talks in Havana on July 8, discussing measures to continue enhancing the faithful solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Vietnamese Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh (L) and First Vice President of
the Cuban Council of State Salvador Valdes Mesa hold talks in Havana on July 8
(Photo: VNA)

Vice President Thinh, who is paying an official visit to Cuba from July 8 to 11, congratulated the Caribbean nation on the approval of the new constitution, affirming that Vietnam is ready to continue exchanging experience in national development and defence.

She noted Vietnam always keeps in mind the pure solidarity, wholehearted support and valuable assistance Cuba has given to it. 

She stressed that the Vietnamese Party, State and people consistently support the Cuban Revolution, along with the United Nations General Assembly’s resolutions demanding the US end its economic, trade and financial sanctions against Cuba.

First Vice President Salvador Valdes Mesa welcomed the Vietnamese Vice President’s official trip, describing it a contribution to the countries’ fraternal solidarity, all-round cooperation and absolute mutual trust.

He affirmed that Cuba treasures the Southeast Asian nation’s solidarity and precious support for its Revolution throughout history, especially when it is making efforts to carry out the guidelines of the seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba and the new constitution. 

He also congratulated Vietnam on the recent development and diplomatic achievements, especially its election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

The two Vice Presidents shared the view that the countries’ relations have entered a new development stage which is increasingly substantive. 

They agreed on the need to seriously implement the agreements reached during the Cuba visit by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong in March 2018 and the trip to Vietnam by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez in November the same year. Accordingly, both sides need to maintain all-level delegation exchanges in all fields, pay special attention to promoting economic and trade links, and effectively implement joint projects on agriculture, pharmaceuticals, construction, information – communications, and education – training.

At the talks, the officials agreed to improve cooperation mechanisms, including the theoretical seminar between the two Parties, the Inter-governmental Committee, the defence dialogue, the political consultation between the two foreign ministries, and the Vietnam-Cuba Business Council. The countries will also continue perfecting the legal framework for bilateral cooperation.

The two sides also discussed measures to encourage mutual investment, agreeing to further facilitate Vietnamese and Cuban businesses’ access to the respective markets.

The Vice Presidents highly valued their countries’ close cooperation and mutual support at international organisations and multilateral forums, especially the UN, to help protect the legitimate interests and promote the prestige and stature of each nation, as well as contribute to the common fight for peace, stability, and cooperation in their respective regions and the world.

Regarding the East Sea issue, both sides affirmed the support for the settlement of disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, along with the need for relevant parties to seriously comply with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and finalise a Code of Conduct in the waters.

Vice President Thinh invited Vice President of the Cuban Councils of State and Ministers Salvador Valdes Mesa to pay another official visit to Vietnam. The Cuban Vice President thanked and accepted the invitation with pleasure.

During their stay in Cuba, Thinh and other senior Vietnamese officials visited the Mariel Special Development Zone in Artemisa province, where they met with executives and employees of two projects invested by Vietnam’s Viglacera and Thai Binh companies.

Also on July 8, the delegation laid wreaths at the monuments to late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh and Cuban hero Hose Martin in Havana.