Chairman of the National Assembly Vương Đình Huệ. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Chairman of the National Assembly Vương Đình Huệ will pay official visits to Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay from April 18-28, the NA Committee for Foreign Affairs has announced.

The visits will be made at the invitation of President of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina Cecilia Moreau, and Speaker of the Senate of Uruguay Beatriz Argimon Cedeira.

Việt Nam and Cuba officially set up diplomatic relations on December 2, 1960. The strong, trusted political ties have facilitated effective economic and trade cooperation. Bilateral trade hit US$262 million in 2021, up 46.6 per cent from the year before, even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts.

NA Chairman Huệ will be the first foreign leader to visit Cuba after the country's parliamentary elections in 2023. The trip reaffirms the importance that Việt Nam attaches to consolidating and strengthening the special friendship and solidarity between the two Parties and nations.

For Việt Nam and Argentina, the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties (1973–2023) with a series of activities.

In a decade, two-way trade has increased from $875 million in 2011 to $4.5 billion in 2021. In the first 11 months of 2022, the figure was $4.52 billion, up 6.9 per cent annually.

NA Chairman Huệ’s visit to Argentina – the first of a Vietnamese top leader to the country in the last 13 years – aims to bolster the friendship and traditional solidarity between the two nations as well as between Việt Nam and Latin American countries.

The Vietnamese top legislator’s official visit to Uruguay takes place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The visit demonstrates Việt Nam’s appreciation towards the partnership and the wish to step up economic and trade relations and development cooperation with nations in Latin America, including Uruguay.

This will be Việt Nam's first high-ranking visit to Uruguay since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1993. — VNS