Over the past 60 years, since the establishment of their diplomatic ties (December 2, 1960), the special solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and Cuba, which was founded by President Ho Chi Minh and Cuban leader Fidel Castro and fostered by generations of the two countries’ leaders and people, have become closer, and more profound.
    |
 |
|
Gen. Phan Van Giang (right) and Sr. Lt. Gen. Álvaro López Miera sign the 2023-2025 cooperation plan. |
Looking back upon the history of the Vietnam - Cuba defense ties, Vietnam opened a Defense Attaché Office in Cuba in 1964. Two years later, in 1966 Cuba opened a Military Attaché Office in Vietnam. Since the relations were newly-established, the contents of the bilateral defense cooperation mainly focused on exchange of experts, and sharing of research on combat and operation skills. The Cuban side sent a number of military delegations to Vietnam to learn from war experience and join combat with the Vietnamese military and people. After 1975, the two sides continued to increase the sharing of experience in the people's warfare. From 1985 to 1992, Vietnam sent hundreds of military, commando, engineering, and air defense advisors to help Cuba build all-level defense systems and train local troops, and militia and self-defense forces.
In 2011, based on the need and desire to promote bilateral defense relations, the two sides signed a defense cooperation development agreement. This was a milestone and an important legal basis for the two militaries to promote comprehensive defense cooperation. With the aim of developing the bilateral defense ties in an intensive, effective, and practical manner, the two sides signed defense cooperation plans for the 2014-2016, 2017-2019, and 2020-2022 periods. On the basis of the signed documents and agreements, especially the 2020-2022 cooperation plan, the two sides have effectively implemented cooperation areas and reaped outstanding results in such fields as exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high-level ones; Party and political work; defense industry; personnel training; dissemination about the special traditional friendship between the two parties, states, and militaries, especially the completion of the book entitled “The 60-year history of Vietnam - Cuba defense relations,” military medicine, and agriculture.
Attentively, when the COVID-19 pandemic became complicated globally, Vietnam and Cuba pro-actively and actively cooperated and supported each other in disease prevention and control within the framework of defense cooperation. This vividly proved the spirit of comradeship, brotherliness, and unwavering solidarity that the two countries have had for each other in the most difficult and dangerous moments, as President Ho Chi Minh once said, “Vietnam and Cuba are tens of thousands of miles apart, but the hearts of the two peoples are as close as brothers in a family.”
Recently, in June this year, General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National Defense, and Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro López Miera, Politburo member of the Communist Party of Cuba, the Minister of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces signed the cooperation plan for the 2023-2025 period during the latter’s official visit to Vietnam. During their talks, both generals agreed to continue to strengthen exchanges of delegations at all levels, particularly high-level ones and exchange of young officers; sharing of professional expertise; promote cooperation on defense industry; personnel training; military medicine and Party and political work, to name but a few.
|
|
 |
|
A group photo of General Phan Van Giang, Sr. Lt. Gen. Álvaro López Miera and other members of the two military delegations at the talks in June 2023 |
In the overall relationship between the two countries, the defense cooperation is always considered one of the pillars, an example to enhance cooperation in other fields. Based on the good political relationship and mutual trust between the two nations in general and the two militaries in particular, the Vietnam - Cuba defense ties are believed to further develop intensively, effectively, and sustainably, contributing to promoting the traditional solidarity, special friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
Translated by Mai Huong