Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung to visit Cuba next week

Viet Nam and Cuba established diplomatic relations on December 2, 1960.

During their summit meeting in Ha Noi last September, Party General Secretary To Lam and First Secretary and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez reaffirmed the historical significance, precious heritage value and great cooperative achievements of the Viet Nam–Cuba relationship over the past 65 years; and vowed the determination to jointly promote the relationship, established by President Ho Chi Minh and Cuban Revolutionary Leader Fidel Castro Ruz and nurtured by generations of the two countries' leaders and people, and to continuously improve the effectiveness of the comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam and Cuba commensurate with the potential and level of sound political relations between the two countries.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the sound development of the Viet Nam–Cuba relationship and cooperation at all levels and in all fields, especially in implementing the agreements between the high-ranking leaders of the two Parties and the two States during the state visit to Cuba by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam in September 2024; welcomed the initial positive results in the strategic cooperation between the two countries, notably the pilot rice cultivation models, the solar energy complex project in Cuba and the establishment of a joint venture in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector.

The two sides pledged to support, create favorable conditions and encourage the development of new cooperation models appropriate to the situation and strengths of research organizations, training institutions and enterprises; expand the presence and participation of the two countries' organizations and enterprises in the socio-economic development process of Viet Nam and Cuba, especially in strategic cooperation areas with great potential such as agriculture and agricultural processing, new energy, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and other potential cooperation areas.

The pair reaffirmed that the relationship between the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) and the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) serves as the foundation and strategic orientation for bilateral cooperation.

They agreed on the importance of enhancing high-level Party-to-Party exchanges, theoretical workshops, and both in-person and online dialogues between the advisory bodies of the two Parties. They also supported practical study visits and experience-sharing programs on socio-economic development in Viet Nam for Cuban officials at the deputy ministerial level and equivalent, as well as exchanges between their youth unions and people's organizations. Additionally, both sides welcomed initiatives aimed at sharing experience and lessons learned in advancing the socialist construction process in both countries.

The two sides agreed to enhance the efficiency of existing cooperation mechanisms and to implement the Exchange and Cooperation Agreement between the CPV and the CPC for 2023–2028. They also committed to deepening collaboration between the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and the Ñico López Party University, between the CPV Central Committee's Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilization and the CPC Central Committee's Ideology Commission, between Communist Review and Cuba Socialista, and between the CPV Central Committee's Policy and Strategy Commission and the CPC Central Committee's Economic and Production Commission, including an online exchange scheduled for 2025.

The two sides consented to jointly hold the seventh theoretical workshop between the two Parties and the third scientific conference entitled "Fidel Castro – Ho Chi Minh: Revolutionary Vision" in 2026, on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. They also agreed to further exchange information, documents and curricula, and coordinate in researching and promoting the thoughts of Ho Chi Minh and Fidel Castro in each country.

Viet Nam and Cuba also pledged to coordinate positions and activities within multilateral forums and mechanisms of political parties and progressive forces, including the BRICS political parties' forum, the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP), the São Paulo Forum, and the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP).

The two sides agreed to continue close cooperation in the areas of national defense, security, and foreign affairs, emphasizing the importance and effectiveness of the extensive and substantive defense cooperation across various fields between the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense and the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, the collaboration between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, as well as the political consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministries.

Viet Nam and Cuba vowed to jointly promote and deepen bilateral cooperation in economy, trade, and investment, particularly in strategic and high-potential sectors. They called on relevant agencies of both countries to enhance exchanges and coordination to address existing challenges and obstacles, and to make the most of the Viet Nam–Cuba Trade Agreement to increase trade volume and diversify bilateral trade.

The two sides expressed satisfaction with the signing an agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Government of the Republic of Cuba on promoting rice production to gradually ensure food security in Cuba for 2025–2027; the minutes of the 42nd meeting of the Viet Nam– Cuba Intergovernmental Committee on Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation; a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on healthcare cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and the Cuban Ministry of Health; an MoU on archival and document management cooperation; and an MoU on the establishment of a joint venture between Hoa Sen Holdings Group, the Green Economics Institute, and Labiofam Group of Cuba.

Leaders of both countries welcomed and highly valued the results of the diverse and practical exchanges between the two peoples, particularly during the Viet Nam–Cuba Friendship Year 2025; agreed to further promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between socio-political organizations and localities of the two countries; and agreed to increase communications about the significance and importance of the traditional solidarity, special friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam and Cuba, instilling in the younger generations of both nations a lasting respect for and commitment to nurturing and developing this special, exemplary, and faithful bilateral relationship.

On this occasion, the Party, State, and people of Viet Nam presented the first tranche of VND385 billion (over US$14.6 million) from this meaningful program to provide timely support for the Cuban people./.