VN, Cuba enhance defense cooperation

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Lieut. Gen. Nguyễn Chí Vịnh

An agreement to this effect was signed between Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Lieut. Gen. Nguyễn Chí Vịnh and Deputy Minister, and Chief of the General Staff of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces Sen. Lieut. Gen. Alvaro Lopez Miera during their talks in Havana on June 22 as part of Mr. Vịnh’s official visit from June 19-24.

Under the agreement, the two sides will also cooperate in training military officers and share experiences in multilateral defense cooperation and military diplomacy.

At the talks, the two sides discussed the developments of the world and each region and their effects on each country’s security-defense, reviewed results of bilateral cooperation over the past time as well as put forth orientations for their future cooperation.

During his stay in Cuba, general Vịnh paid a courtesy visit to Sen. Lieut. Gen. Julio Casas Regueiro, Politburo member, Vice President of the Council of State and Minister of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, who spoke highly of socio-economic and defense-security achievements made by the Vietnamese Party and people over the past time.

The Cuban Minister highly valued the two countries’ cooperative ties, suggesting both to speed up defense cooperation in the fields where they have strength and potential.

The Vietnamese delegation also had a working session with Oscar Martinez, Vice Head of the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, on the results of the 6th CPC Congress.

They toured leading units, defense industrial establishments and IT and scientific application facilities of the Ministry of Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces.

The Vietnamese officials paid floral tribute to President Hồ Chí Minh at his monument in Havana.
The visit, made after the Vietnamese and Cuban Communist Parties successfully organized their congresses, will help further strengthen the fraternity, and traditional, loyal solidarity between Việt Nam and Cuba. It at the same time will boost bilateral defense cooperation to cope with and foil all schemes threatening socialism, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of each nation in the new situation./.