Vietnam, Cuba’s defence leaders hold talks

Deputy Minister Chien is accompanying President Nguyen Xuan Phuc during his official visit to Cuba.

At the meeting, Minister Alvaro Lopez Miera highly spoke of President Phuc’s visit to Cuba, saying it reaffirms the solidarity and special brotherhood between the two countries at the time when the world is facing challenges caused by the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both sides welcomed the outcomes of bilateral defence cooperation over recent years which are in line with documents and agreements signed by the two ministries and commitments made by the countries’ leaders. They particularly spoke highly of results achieved in 2020, highlighting the compilation of a set of documents on the Vietnam-Cuba defence partnership over the last six decades (1960 – 2020) as an example.

They agreed to further increase delegation exchanges, high-level dialogues and cooperation in defence industry, personnel training, cyber security, military medicine and other areas that both sides have competitive edges and potential.

They also agreed to coordinate in responding to the pandemic and soon develop and sign a cooperation plan between the two countries’ military medical forces for the next five years.

Thanking the Cuban Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces for sending medicines and experts to help Vietnam fight COVID-19, Deputy Minister Chien announced that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence will present 100 tonnes of corn seeds along with medical supplies and cash, worth around US$436,700 in total, to its Cuban counterpart.

The Cuban minister also informed that his ministry will donate 150,000 doses of Abdala COVID-19 vaccine and virus treatment medicines to Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence.

At the end of the talks, the two sides inked a plan for defence cooperation for 2020 – 2022.