During the meeting, General Giang thanked Three-star General Álvaro López Miera and the Cuban delegation for visiting Vietnam and participating in these significant events of the VPA. He emphasized that the Cuban delegation’s visit hold profound significance as it takes place shortly after the celebrations of the 64th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations (December 2, 1960 - 2024), 68 years of the landing of the Granma vessel and the establishment of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (December 2, 1956 - 2024), contributing to strengthening the special traditional friendship between the two nations and their armed forces.
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General Phan Van Giang and Three-star General Álvaro López Miera |
Updating General Álvaro López Miera on current situation of Vietnam and the VPA, the Vietnamese Defense Minister affirmed the broad consensus and determination of the Party, Government, and people of Vietnam to lead the country into a new era of development. He stated that the VPA is striving to build an elite, compact, strong military by 2025 and a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modernized military by 2030.
Sharing sympathy for the difficulties and challenges faced by the Cuban people due to embargoes and the severe damage caused by successive natural disasters in October and November, General Giang reaffirmed Vietnam’s willingness to provide maximum support to Cuba within its capacity.
The Vietnamese defense leader emphasized that the bilateral defense cooperation remains one of the pillars of the overall Vietnam - Cuba relationship. In recent years, defense cooperation has been effectively implemented, yielding positive results in areas such as delegation exchanges, party and political work, and defense industry. These efforts have enhanced the capacity of each country’s armed forces to defend their homelands and contributed positively to regional and global peace, stability, and development.
Looking ahead, General Giang suggested the two defense ministries continue to effectively implement agreed-upon areas of cooperation, ensuring deeper and more substantive bilateral defense relations. This is especially significant as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations (December 2, 1960 - 2025) and the "Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Year.”
On behalf of all officers and soldiers of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces, General Álvaro López Miera extended congratulations to all VPA officers and soldiers on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the VPA’s foundation day and the 35th anniversary of the All-People’s Defense Festive Day. He congratulated the VPA on its outstanding achievements throughout 80 years of growth, combat, and development.
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General Phan Van Giang hands over a souvenir to Three-star General Álvaro López Miera. |
Agreeing with the Vietnamese Defense Minister’s assessments and proposals, the Cuban defense leader affirmed the strong and enduring relationship between the two countries, particularly between the two defense ministries. He expressed his hope for increased military cooperation across all fields to further promote bilateral relations and invited General Giang to officially visit Cuba in the near future.
Translated by Tran Hoai