The close friendship and, above all, the mutual will to continue strengthening ties in all areas, distinguished, on Thursday, the meeting of the member of the Political Bureau and Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, with the general secretary of the Communist Party and president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, To Lam.
Receiving him at the headquarters of the Council of Ministers, in the Palace of the Revolution, the Cuban Head of Government said: "It is encouraging to continue counting on a close friend like you, from your new position, to continue the noble work of promoting the exceptional relations of brotherhood and cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba."
He highlighted the Asian nation's capacity to recover from Covid-19; as well as the resilience and determination with which it has faced the passage of Typhoon Yagi, the most destructive typhoon in the last 60 years.
"We reiterate that you can count on Cuba's permanent solidarity in these difficult times. We will be ready to respond, immediately, to any request for support from our Vietnamese brothers," Marrero Cruz stressed.
He highlighted the top priority given to the ties between the two countries, expressed in the systematic political dialogue at the highest level.
This visit, the first in his capacity as General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of Vietnam, firmly ratifies, in To Lam's own words, "the special friendship and high esteem of the Party, the State and the Vietnamese people towards the Party, the State and the brotherly Cuban people."
He acknowledged Cuba's achievements in building a socialist country, and valued the way to overcome difficulties and challenges. "I want, on this occasion, to further promote substantial and effective bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba, in a new stage of development."
The image of Fidel, in 1973, flying the victorious flag of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, the first and only head of government to visit that liberated zone in the middle of the war, continues to mark the historic character of bilateral relations, born in December 1960.
