Vietnam, Cuba to augment cooperation across the board

Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi, co-chair of the committee, said co-operation between both sides has been successfully maintained this year despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two-way trade during the past 11 months of the year hit US$105 million, marking an annual rise of 2%, he said, adding that the country has strived to maintain its rice exports to Cuba, helping the Caribbean nation ensure food security and social stability.

Through various conferences and workshops, both online and in-person, the two sides have managed to popularise the Vietnam-Cuba trade agreement among their businesses and relevant associations.

Most notably, the joint investment working group has introduced new Cuban policies, priority areas, and projects calling for foreign investments, whilst also proposing solutions aimed at removing difficulties facing Vietnamese investors in Cuba.

The co-operation project on rice production in Cuba for the 2019 to 2023 period has been carried out as scheduled. Meanwhile, the two sides have co-ordinated to raise proposals regarding the project which will help Cuba with aquatic farming and corn cultivation.

Remarkable progress has also been recorded in collaboration on health care and bio-technology, particularly with Cuba providing the Vietnamese side with five million doses of the Abdala COVID-19 vaccine.

As part of the official visit to Cuba by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc last September, ministries, agencies, and businesses of the two countries signed many important co-operation agreements, covering the economy, fisheries, health care, cyber security, justice, hotels, and clean energy.

The signing has created a crucial foundation for Vietnam and Cuba to focus on activities and expand co-operation opportunities in areas in which both are interested in.

Given the various difficulties and shortcomings to bilateral co-operation, the nation has suggested that the Cuban Government could soon come up with solutions aimed at ensuring the effective operation of Vietnamese projects.
Both sides concurred to boost collaboration in priority areas, as well as the spheres in which both are interested in.

They will therefore work to effectively implement reached agreements and create conditions in which businesses can fully utilise the tax incentives of the Vietnam-Cuba trade agreement and boost the bilateral trade.

Greater efforts will also be stepped up in order to carry out the co-operation project on rice production in Cuba, whilst also sketching out corn and aquaculture projects that are expected to be submitted to competent agencies for approval, the meeting heard.

The two health ministries will strive to ramp up co-operation in the supply and transfer of COVID-19 vaccine production technology in Vietnam.

The two nations used the platform to agree to enhance partnerships across a variety of fields like construction, information-communications, finance, customs, banking, education-training, culture-sports-tourism, labour-invalids-social affairs, radio, television, science-technology and justice, among others.

As part of the occasion, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Cuban Ministry of Culture signed a memorandum of understanding on cultural co-operation.