Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng (third, left) meets with Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, in New Delhi on September 12. VNA photo

NEW DELHI —Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng had a meeting with Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, in New Delhi on September 12 on the occasion of his attendance at the 18th BRICS Summit.

PM Hưng conveyed greetings and best wishes from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm and other Vietnamese leaders to General Raul Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, and other Cuban Party and State leaders.

"Việt Nam always attaches importance to its special friendship with Cuba, closely follows the situation in the Caribbean island nation, shares difficulties and challenges with Cuba, and stands ready to provide support within its capacity," he stressed.

​ The two sides highly valued the special friendship, solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States, and peoples, which continue to be strengthened and developed positively in various fields.

To deepen bilateral relations in a substantive and effective manner, PM Hưng proposed maintaining regular exchanges of delegations at all levels, particularly between senior leaders of the two Parties and States, and improving the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

He also called on both sides to coordinate in addressing difficulties and obstacles, facilitate the operations of Vietnamese businesses in Cuba, and improve the efficiency of cooperation projects. Việt Nam is ready to create favourable conditions for Cuban pharmaceutical cooperation projects in the country, he said.

The two sides agreed to continue promoting their coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums.

For his part, Rodriguez Parrilla conveyed warm greetings from General Raul Castro Ruz, First Secretary and President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and other senior Cuban leaders to General Secretary and President Lâm and other senior Vietnamese leaders.

He affirmed that Cuba attached great importance to its special friendship with Việt Nam, describing the nation as a successful model in the process of Đổi Mới (renewal), national construction and development along the socialist path, and expressing confidence that Việt Nam would achieve even greater successes.

The Cuban minister stressed that Party-to-Party relations constituted a firm political foundation and provided strategic orientation for bilateral ties.

​He expressed profound gratitude for the solidarity, support and practical assistance extended by the Vietnamese Party, State and people to Cuba, particularly in agriculture, food security and energy, as well as Việt Nam's support for Cuba at multilateral forums.

He also appreciated the long-term operations of Vietnamese businesses in Cuba and their positive contributions to the country's socio-economic development.

Sharing the economic, social, energy, food and financial difficulties facing Cuba, Rodriguez Parrilla spoke highly of Việt Nam's support and solidarity. He said Cuba wished to closely coordinate with Việt Nam to effectively implement key cooperation projects, particularly those in food production, solar energy and pharmaceuticals.

He proposed that the two sides continue seeking solutions to remove obstacles and ensure the operations of Vietnamese projects and businesses in Cuba.

Cuba also wanted to continue learning from Việt Nam's renewal and socio-economic development experience, while strengthening theoretical and practical exchanges between the two Parties, he said, thanking Việt Nam and calling for continued coordination and support for Cuba at multilateral forums.

The two sides reaffirmed their determination to further deepen the special friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation founded by President Hồ Chí Minh and Cuban leader Fidel Castro and nurtured by generations of leaders and people of the two countries.

They agreed to continue effectively implementing agreements and commitments reached by their high-ranking leaders. VNA/VNS