President of the National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Hà

HÀ NỘI — The two-day working visit to Vietnam by President of the National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez is expected to helped further enhance the traditional solidarity and special friendship between the two countries, which have always been treasured and nurtured via all channels, including parliamentary cooperation, by the two Parties, States, and peoples.

The visit on November 2 - 3, to be made at the invitation of Chairman of the National Assembly Trần Thanh Mẫn, takes place on the thresholds of the 65th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations (December 2, 1960 - 2025) with a wide range of meaningful activities to be organised.

Việt Nam - Cuba traditional solidarity, special friendship flourish

Cuba was the first country in the western hemisphere to set up a full diplomatic relationship with Việt Nam, on December 2, 1960. With the foundation laid by Presidents Hồ Chí Minh and Fidel Castro, their solidarity and fraternity have been developing strongly over time.

During Việt Nam’s resistance war for national liberation in the 1960s and 1970s, Cuba was always a symbol of and took the lead in the worldwide people’s movement of showing solidarity with and support for Việt Nam’s just struggle. The Vietnamese people always keep in mind Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s immortal remark: “For Việt Nam, Cuba is ready to devote its blood.”

Meanwhile, Việt Nam has always worked hard to strengthen the countries’ solidarity and promote the effectiveness of comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties and countries. Party and State leaders of both sides have repeatedly emphasised that the two countries’ relationship is a “symbol of the era”.

For the last more than six decades, despite numerous challenges or ups and downs in the world’s situation, the solidarity and fraternity between Việt Nam and Cuba have been increasingly tightened in multiple spheres.

Cuban Ambassador to Việt Nam Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen said the two countries have always stood shoulder by shoulder, supported, and assisted each other in the most trying times as well as in the fight against the common enemy. He considered this as a forceful demonstration of the special fraternal friendship over the last nearly 65 years between the two nations that are half-of-the-earth distant from each other.

Today, the Parties, States, and people of the two countries have continued exerting efforts to develop the traditional friendship and special friendship via all channels.

In particular, the Party-to-Party ties have been intensified, serving as the political cornerstone guiding the development of the countries’ relations.

Bilateral meetings and mutual visits at all levels, especially high level, have been maintained. According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Lê Quang Long, since 2020, there have been more than 20 delegation exchanges between provinces, cities, and socio-political organisations between the two countries, along with cultural, educational, and health exchange programmes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Việt Nam donated a large amount of medicine and important supplies serving the disease combat to Cuba, which in turn also sent many types of pharmaceuticals and millions of vaccine doses it produced to Việt Nam.

In 2023, the two countries held a wide range of meaningful activities marking major anniversaries, including the 60th founding anniversary of the Cuban Committee for Solidarity with South Việt Nam (September 25, 1963), now the Cuba - Việt Nam Friendship Association; and 50 years since Cuba leader Fidel Castro first visited Việt Nam and the liberated zone in South Việt Nam (September 1973).

In July 2024, Cuba declared three days of national mourning (July 20 - 22) for Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. President of the Cuban parliament Esteban Lazo Hernandez also came to pay the last respect for the late Vietnamese leader.

Recently, Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm paid a state visit to Cuba from September 25 to 27, reflecting the high priority that the Vietnamese Party, State, and people give to the traditional solidarity, special friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

As the two sides will mark the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, leaders of the two Parties and countries decided to designate 2025 as the Việt Nam - Cuba Friendship Year, with many practical celebrations to be organised.

On the sidelines of the recent expanded BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính received Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla on October 24.

At international forums, especially the United Nations, the two countries have always coordinated closely with and supported each other. They have also shared the stance on supporting the peaceful settlement of disputes in line with international law and the UN Charter.

Close parliamentary cooperation

Relations between the Vietnamese and Cuban legislatures have also been promoted in a substantive and effective manner.

In April 2023, the two countries signed an agreement on establishing an inter-parliamentary cooperation mechanism.

In September 2024, Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese NA Nguyễn Đức Hải paid a working visit to Cuba and co-chaired the first meeting of the two countries’ inter-parliamentary cooperation committee in Havana on September 24, a step to carry out the two parliaments’ cooperation agreement signed in April 2023.

At that meeting, the two sides reaffirmed the determination to support and further reinforce the solidarity, friendship, and cooperation between Việt Nam and Cuba. They also underlined the importance of parliamentary cooperation in strengthening and bringing into play the countries’ special solidarity.

In addition, they stressed the necessity to expand the bilateral inter-parliamentary ties, boost coordination in bilateral aspects as well as at international and regional forums, and improve the capacity of coordinating, promoting, and supervising the implementation of cooperation documents between their countries.

Collaboration in multiple areas unceasingly strengthened

The sound political - diplomatic relations have created momentum for economic and trade partnerships between Việt Nam and Cuba. Among Asian-Pacific countries, Việt Nam is currently the second largest trading partner and the biggest foreign investor in Cuba.

The two sides are pressing on with implementing the bilateral trade agreement, signed in 2018 and taking effect on April 1, 2020, with many preferential treatments, benefiting the countries’ businesses and facilitating bilateral trade activities.

Besides, Vietnamese businesses are also gradually expanding investment in Cuba, especially in the Mariel Special Economic Zone, in the fields of essential consumer goods, construction materials, and renewable energy. Some are considering more investments in agriculture and consumer goods manufacturing in the Caribbean nation.

Regarding education - training, Cuba has granted many scholarships to Vietnamese students each year. Meanwhile, a large number of young people of Cuba have also received scholarships to learn the Vietnamese language and culture at the Vietnam National University, Hà Nội.

Locality-to-locality collaboration and people-to-people exchanges have created strong bonds between the two countries while contributing to the solid foundation for bilateral political and economic connections. So far, five Vietnamese localities have inked cooperation deals with six Cuban localities.

The upcoming working visit by the top legislator of Cuba aims to continue implementing the cooperation commitments of the two parliaments, helping enhance parliamentary ties as well as the traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. — VNA/VNS