State leader leaves for official visit to Cuba
VGP – President Nguyen Xuan Phuc left Ha Noi on September 18 for a four-day official visit to Cuba from September 18-20 at the invitation of First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba’s Central Committee and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
The Head of the State is accompanied by Chairman of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Internal Affairs Phan Dinh Trac, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Chairman of the President's Office Le Khanh Hai, Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung and Governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam Nguyen Thi Hong.
Nguyen's visit reflects Viet Nam’s solidarity and support for Cuba in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Thanh Tung said that this is the first official visit of a foreign State leader to Cuba since 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
It is also the first high-level visit between the two countries since the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and the 8th National Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, he added.
During the visit, Nguyen and Cuban leaders are expected to discuss on orientations to further strengthen the time-honored friendship and comprehensive cooperation, particularly in such fields like economy, trade, and invsetment.
The bilateral trade hit US$53.7 million in the first half of this year, with Viet Nam's export value worth US$51.4 million, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade's European-American Market Department.
Although bilateral trade saw a downward trend in the past two years, Cuba remains among 10 countries with the highest trade turnover with Viet Nam in America.
By Thuy Dung
