On the occasion of the official visit to Vietnam of President of the National Assembly of People's Power and President of the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernández, Secretary General of the National Assembly and Council of State of Cuba Homero Acosta Álvarez took the time to share with VNA reporters the significance of the visit, the role of the parliamentary cooperation mechanism and the prospects of the special traditional relationship between the two countries.
Mr. Homero Acosta Álvarez emphasized that the visit of President Esteban Lazo Hernández is all the more meaningful as it takes place in a year filled with important commemorative events for Vietnam.
Cuba is also honored to accompany Vietnam in the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of National Day (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2025), the 135th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday (May 19, 1890 - August 19, 2025), the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 - February 3, 2025) and especially the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (December 2, 1960 - December 2, 2025).
“This visit follows the success of the State visit of the General Secretary and President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and the 42nd Session of the Intergovernmental Committee, contributing to further promoting the links in all areas: Party, State, Government and Parliament,” said Mr. Homero Acosta Álvarez.
According to the Secretary General, an important highlight of the visit was the second meeting of the Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in Hanoi.
Mr. Acosta Álvarez affirmed that this mechanism is not a formality, but the result of a clear political will to further strengthen inter-parliamentary relations. He stressed that Cuba currently has only established bilateral cooperation mechanisms at the parliamentary level with very few countries.
Mr. Homero Acosta Álvarez said that although the two countries' parliamentary relations have always been close, the establishment of a formal cooperation mechanism in 2023 through a Memorandum of Understanding has brought a new step forward.
This mechanism does not stop at discussing legislative and supervisory work, but also extends to cooperation between the supporting apparatuses of the two parliaments.
“This mechanism is increasingly being refined because we discuss not only theoretical parliamentary issues, but also analyze the progress of key economic and trade cooperation and linkage spaces,” the Secretary-General affirmed.
He cited that at the meeting, the two sides jointly considered how parliaments could promote government agreements, remove legal barriers, create a favorable legal framework and monitor implementation.
The areas under specific analysis include investment, cooperation in rice production, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and other agricultural projects such as pig and chicken farming and fruit tree planting.
Vietnam is currently the number one Asian investor in Cuba, with eight significant projects in the Mariel Special Development Zone. Agricultural cooperation, especially in rice production, has also had very encouraging initial results.
In Los Palacios district, Cuba, an agricultural cooperation project with Vietnam has brought about outstanding productivity, reaching more than 7 tons of rice per hectare, far exceeding the previous average yield in this Caribbean island nation.
Mr. Acosta Álvarez also frankly pointed out the difficulties that need to be resolved related to energy, fuel and financial-banking mechanisms.
Assessing parliamentary cooperation over the past time, Mr. Homero Acosta Álvarez said that the two sides have always maintained a very close relationship.
He revealed that since 2013, a high-ranking delegation of the Cuban National Assembly has visited Vietnam under the direction of the Cuban Party and State leaders to conduct in-depth research on innovation experiences and changes in the legal system, serving Cuba's constitutional reform.
Exchanges of delegations at all levels, including President Esteban Lazo’s visit to Vietnam in 2017, have been maintained regularly. A memorable milestone was the establishment of the new National Assembly of Cuba (2023), which saw the presence of a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly for the first time, and the Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly delivered a speech directly at the session. This is a vivid symbol of this special and exemplary solidarity relationship.
At international parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the two sides always have very close coordination and support for each other.
He highly appreciated the prestige and international position of the Vietnamese National Assembly, and affirmed that the progress in legislation and the supervision mechanism of the Vietnamese National Assembly are valuable lessons for the Cuban National Assembly. Cooperation also brought about very practical results, such as the Vietnamese National Assembly supporting Cuba in the digital transformation of the parliament.
“Currently, a Vietnamese technician is in Havana to deploy an online connection system between the Cuban National Assembly and localities,” Mr. Homero Acosta Álvarez shared.
Secretary General Acosta Álvarez affirmed that Cuba-Vietnam relations are now at a much higher level than before, entering “a new era” on the foundation of a traditional, special, loyal, pure, and rare friendship in international relations.
“This is a historic relationship, different from the normal diplomatic relations between two countries, because it is built on solidarity and brotherhood. I believe that Vietnam is the only country in the world with which we maintain such a comprehensive relationship,” he stressed.
“I think the bilateral relationship is now at a new level, a new stage, especially since the visit of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam,” he said. “The two countries have been promoting cooperation in many specific areas with a new momentum.”
He listed promising areas of cooperation such as food production, pharmaceuticals (with the recently inaugurated Genpharma joint venture factory), biotechnology and renewable energy.
He also pointed out that Cuba's having all the channels of comprehensive cooperation (Party, State, Government, Parliament) and a mechanism for exchanging experiences in socialist construction theory with Vietnam is rare, showing a relationship that no other partner can match.
“We greatly admire what Vietnam has achieved in development and ensuring social security for its people. Vietnam is an example for the world in building socialism,” Mr. Acosta said.
According to Secretary General Acosta Álvarez, in the context of Cuba facing many difficulties, Vietnam's kind hand and solidarity have promptly reached this Caribbean island nation.
He was moved to mention that the Fatherland Front, the Vietnam Red Cross and many organizations have called for donations for the Cuban people on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of relations, with the amount reaching more than 14 million USD in just a short time.
The mutual affection and love that the Vietnamese people have for Cuba during the current difficult period is the most vivid proof of the friendship that President Ho Chi Minh and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro have worked hard to cultivate./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/quan-he-viet-nam-cuba-buoc-vao-ky-nguyen-moi-tren-nen-tang-doan-ket-dac-biet-post1067605.vnp
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