General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Tô Lâm (right) meets the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the National Assembly of People’s Power Esteban Lazo Hernandez on Saturday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Tô Lâm hosted a reception in Hà Nội on Saturday for Politburo member of the Communist Party, President of the Council of State, and President of the National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez.

The Party chief welcomed the ongoing visit to Việt Nam by the top legislator of Cuba and spoke highly of the results of the meeting and talks between the Cuban leader and State President Lương Cường and National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, respectively, earlier the same day.

Lâm expressed his belief that the visit will contribute to promoting substantive and effective cooperation between the two countries in the coming time.

The Party, State and people of Việt Nam always treasure the Việt Nam-Cuba close bond and exemplary, rare brotherly comradeship in international relations, nurtured by late President Hồ Chí Minh and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro and generations of leaders of the two countries, Lâm said.

Việt Nam is determined to strongly strengthen and improve the effectiveness of comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, two countries and two peoples, for the benefit of their people, for peace, stability and development in the world, he added.

Sharing with the difficulties that the Party, State and people of Cuba are trying to overcome due to the blockade, embargo and incidents and natural disasters, the Party chief affirmed that Việt Nam stands in solidarity with Cuba, calling for lifting the embargo against Cuba and removing it from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Lâm also expressed his joy with the sound development of the Việt Nam-Cuba relations in recent times, including efforts and initial outcomes to carry out agreements reached during his recent visit to Cuba. He praised the attention and direction of the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel and other Cuban leaders in realising the visit’s outcomes with specific solutions.

He agreed with cooperation proposals of the Cuban NA leader in the fields of both sides’ strengths and needs, suggesting the two countries continue maintaining the exchange of all-level visits, strengthening collaboration between the two parliaments and governments, and increasing people-to-people exchanges and locality-to-locality and sector-to-sector cooperation.

Top Cuban legislator Esteban Lazo Hernandez expressed his honour and gratitude to Lâm for receiving the delegation, and conveyed the greetings of General Raúl Castro, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel and other Cuban leaders to him.

Esteban Lazo highly valued Việt Nam's international position and role, expressing his impression of Việt Nam's strong development as he has seen through his visits to Việt Nam and believed that Việt Nam will continue to achieve its set goals.

He reaffirmed that Lâm's visit to Cuba is a great source of encouragement for Cuba in its period of difficulty while affirming the solidarity and special affection of the Party, Government and people of Cuba towards Việt Nam. He thanked Việt Nam for supporting the Cuban people in the past time.

Esteban Lazo expressed his wish that the two countries continue to strengthen and promote cooperation in all fields, with political and diplomatic relations at the core, while increasing the exchange of delegations at all levels, as well as the exchange of experiences and cooperation between the governments, NAs and localities of the two countries in the coming time — VNS.