State President Lương Cường and Cuba's top legislator Esteban Lazo Hernandez meet in Hà Nội on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese State President Lương Cường met with President of the National Assembly of People's Power and President of the Council of State of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez in Hà Nội on Tuesday, as part of the latter's official visit to Việt Nam until October 5, during which he will co-chair the second session of the Việt Nam–Cuba Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.

President Cường warmly welcomed Esteban Lazo’s return to Việt Nam, following a recent state visit by First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez. He underscored the significance of the Cuban delegation’s visit and expressed his belief that it would further reinforce the traditional solidarity, special friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

The Vietnamese President expressed gratitude to Cuban leaders for organising solemn meetings to celebrate Việt Nam’s major national anniversaries, noting that political and diplomatic relations between the two nations through Party, State and people-to-people channels have reached new heights and stand as a model of international relations.

President Cường affirmed Việt Nam’s determination to deepen and enhance cooperation with Cuba in all fields, particularly trade and investment, capitalising on the strengths of both sides. He emphasised that the goal is to advance trade and investment ties to be commensurate with Việt Nam-Cuba special relations, especially as the two countries celebrate the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations in December 2025.

For his part, Esteban Lazo showed his solidarity and conveyed condolences from the Party, State, National Assembly and people of Cuba to the Vietnamese people affected by recent severe storms. He expressed his confidence that Việt Nam would quickly overcome the consequences of natural disasters.

He thanked Việt Nam and President Cường for the warm and respectful reception given to the Cuban delegation, congratulated Việt Nam on the successful celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, and voiced his belief that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Việt Nam, the country will achieve its development goals for 2030 and 2045.

The top Cuban legislator was moved by Việt Nam’s nationwide campaign “65 Years of Việt Nam–Cuba Solidarity” in support of the Cuban people, describing it as a vivid reflection of the faithful and enduring friendship between the two nations. He reiterated Cuba’s appreciation of Việt Nam’s solidarity, support and assistance in difficult times.

Both leaders reaffirmed their respect for Việt Nam–Cuba exemplary ties, founded by President Hồ Chí Minh and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro and nurtured by generations of leaders and people of both countries. They recalled the recent visits by Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm to Cuba in September 2024 and by President Diaz-Canel to Việt Nam earlier this month, which created important milestones, consolidating political trust and opening new prospects in trade, investment and economic cooperation.

They pledged close monitoring and direction to ensure effective implementation of commitments, particularly in food security, energy security, biotechnology and other potential areas.

President Cường highlighted the growing cooperation between the two legislatures, with high-level visits and joint activities contributing significantly to strengthening the special, faithful and exemplary ties. He affirmed Việt Nam’s readiness to share its experience in nearly 40 years of renewal and deep international integration to support Cuba’s development.

The Cuban leader affirmed that the Cuban National Assembly will continue close cooperation with its Vietnamese counterpart, promote high-level exchanges, facilitate Vietnamese businesses operating in Cuba, and encourage youth exchanges to carry forward the bilateral tradition. He stressed that Cuba wants to learn from Việt Nam’s development experience, which serves as an inspiration for Cuba and the world.

On the occasion, President Cường asked Esteban Lazo to convey his greetings to Revolutionary Leader Raul Castro, President Diaz-Canel and other Cuban Party and State leaders. Esteban Lazo, in turn, conveyed Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel’s invitation to President Cường to visit Cuba at a convenient time. The Vietnamese leader accepted the invitation with pleasure. — VNA/VNS