Attending the talks were: Lieutenant General Trinh Van Quyet, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army; Senior Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army...

General Phan Van Giang and members of the Vietnamese delegation at the talks. Photo: Tuan Huy

Lieutenant General Álvaro López Miera and members of the Cuban delegation at the talks. Photo: Tuan Huy

General Phan Van Giang warmly welcomed Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro Lopez Miera and his delegation on their official visit to Vietnam. General Phan Van Giang highly appreciated the significance of the delegation's visit as the two countries are heading towards the 60th anniversary of Cuba's establishment of the Cuban Committee for Solidarity with South Vietnam (September 1963) - the predecessor of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association, and the 50th anniversary of leader Fidel Castro's first visit to Vietnam and to the liberated zone of South Vietnam in Quang Tri (September 1973).

General Phan Van Giang affirmed that over the past 60 years, the special friendship between Vietnam and Cuba has been continuously consolidated and developed in the spirit of brotherhood and closeness, becoming an exemplary relationship symbolizing the times. General Phan Van Giang expressed his belief that the success of Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro López Miera's official visit to Vietnam will contribute to consolidating the special friendship between the two countries and the two armies.

View of the meeting. Photo: Tuan Huy

General Phan Van Giang shared the difficulties and challenges that the Cuban people are facing due to the impact of the blockade and embargo policies and recently the loss of human lives and property due to consecutive incidents and natural disasters. General Phan Van Giang affirmed that the Party, State, people and People's Army of Vietnam will never forget Cuba's support and assistance during the most difficult period of the national liberation struggle, as well as in the cause of building Vietnam in the future and will always stand side by side and support Cuba on the path of building and developing the beautiful and heroic country of Cuba.


General Phan Van Giang and Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro Lopez Miera signed the Cooperation Plan for the period 2023-2025. Photo: Tuan Huy

General Phan Van Giang congratulated Cuba on the successful organization of the 10th National Assembly election; emphasizing that this is a victory of the Cuban revolution, demonstrating the solidarity and unity of the Cuban people. General Phan Van Giang expressed his belief that the brotherly country of Cuba will soon overcome all difficulties and challenges, and develop prosperously and well. On this occasion, General Phan Van Giang thanked the Party, State and Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba for recognizing and awarding noble medals of the Cuban State to leaders and former leaders of the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam who have made many contributions to the relationship between the two countries and the two armies during the visit to Vietnam of the Political Director of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces.

General Phan Van Giang presents a souvenir to Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro Lopez Miera. Photo: Tuan Huy

For his part, Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro López Miera thanked General Phan Van Giang and the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense for the warm welcome given to the delegation; recalled the memories of his visit to Vietnam in 2019 and expressed his affection for the country and people of Vietnam. Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro López Miera shared with General Phan Van Giang the difficulties and challenges that Cuba has faced; thanked Vietnam for always accompanying and supporting Cuba; emphasized the close and strong brotherly relationship between the two countries, the two Armies and the importance of this relationship. Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro López Miera expressed his hope that in the coming time, Cuba and Vietnam will continue to maintain and promote cooperation in areas where both sides have the capacity and need, focusing on exchanging delegations at all levels, exchanging experts, training, preserving historical memories, etc.; at the same time, he affirmed that he will do his best to contribute to deepening the Cuba-Vietnam relationship.

General Phan Van Giang, Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro Lopez Miera and members of the two delegations took a group photo after the talks. Photo: Tuan Huy

At the talks, the two sides agreed to assess that over the past time, in the overall relationship between the two countries, defense cooperation has always been one of the pillars and a model for promoting cooperation in other fields. On the basis of signed documents and agreements, especially the Cooperation Plan for the period 2020-2022, the two sides have effectively coordinated to implement many areas of cooperation and achieved a number of outstanding results in the following areas: exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high-level delegations; Party work, political work; defense industry; human resource training; propaganda about the special traditional friendship between the two Parties, the two States, the two Armies, especially the completion of the book "History of 60 years of Vietnam-Cuba defense relations"; military medicine; agriculture...

In the coming time, the two sides agreed to focus on implementing cooperation in a number of areas: continuing to strengthen exchange activities, delegation exchanges at all levels, especially high-level delegations; exchanging professional experiences; exchanging young officers of the two countries; defense industry; cooperation in human resource training; military medicine; Party work, political work...

At the end of the talks, General Phan Van Giang and Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro Lopez Miera signed the Cooperation Plan for the 2023-2025 period.

HOANG VU