Top Vietnamese, Cuban leaders held talks in Havana

The two leaders agreed to boost the Viet Nam-Cuba traditional solidarity, special friendship, and comprehensive cooperation to a new height for the cause of development, socialism building, for the sake of the two nations' people, and for peace, cooperation, and development in each region and the world at large.

They pledged to spur mutual understanding, exchange, and coordination in political and strategic issues and raise the efficiency of visits and exchanges, especially those at the high level and through flexible forms.

Both sides pledged to host the 6th theoretical symposium between the two Parties and the second international conference on the revolutionary visions of President Ho Chi Minh and Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro as well as many other cooperation activities in the time ahead.

They laid stress on improving the efficacy of the Viet Nam-Cuba Intergovernmental Committee and other mechanisms in the areas of defense, security and foreign affairs.

The two sides were unanimous in removing blockades and optimizing trade agreements in order to strive for US$500 million in bilateral trade in the next five years.

They also agreed to create necessary conditions for sustainable operations of Vietnamese firms in Cuba in accordance with the Caribbean nation's policy on investment attraction for economic development.

The pair voiced their support for competent agencies of both sides to jointly develop an agricultural production cooperation model and assist Cuban in improving productivity and production capacity and ensure food security.

The two leaders also agreed to broaden cooperation in other fields like energy, biotech, healthcare, tourism, telecommunications and construction, local linkages and people-to-people exchanges.

The two leaders agreed to continue actively assisting and supporting each other at international organizations and forums.

To Lam invited Miguel to visit Viet Nam in 2025 on the occasion of the 65th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries (December 12, 1960 - 2025) and the 50th anniversary of the Southern Liberation and National Reunification of Viet Nam (April 30, 1975 - 2025). The Cuban leader accepted the invitation with pleasure.

On the occasion, the top Vietnamese leader informed his host that the Vietnamese Party, State, and people have donated 10,000 tons of rice to the Cuban people, the CPV Central Committee has presented 500 computers to the PCC Central Committee, the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labor has sent gifts to the Central Union of Cuban Workers, and several Vietnamese localities have also given presents to the Cuban people.

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of seven cooperation agreements between ministries and localities of the two countries.

The deals include a coordination plan between the CPV Central Committee's Commission for External Relations and the PCC Central Committee's Department for External Relations; a cooperation agreement between the CPV Central Committee's Economic Commission and the PCC Central Committee's economics and production department; a cooperation agreement between the Communist Review of Viet Nam and the Cuba Socialist Magazine; a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the State Bank of Viet Nam and the Central Bank of Cuba; an agreement to establish friendly and cooperative relations between Vinh Phuc Province and Cuba's Mayabeque province; an MoU of cooperation between the People's Committee of Quang Trị Province and the Ministry of Public Health of Cuba; and a cooperation document between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam and the Ministry of Agriculture of Cuba./.