The statement was made by General Raul Castro, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee at a reception in Havana on May 8 for Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, who is leading a Vietnamese high-ranking defense delegation to visit Cuba and attend the Vietnam-Cuba Defense Policy Dialogue.

leftcenterrightdel
At the reception

At the meeting, the host emphasized that bilateral defense cooperation is an important part of the relations between the two Parties and States and spoke highly of effective bilateral defense cooperation over the past time. He also voiced strong support for the compilation of a document on the 60-year history of Vietnam-Cuba defense cooperation, considering it a creative idea to educate young generations of the two countries on the Vietnam-Cuba friendship and solidarity in general and the bilateral defense ties in particular.

For his part, General Vinh thanked General Raul Castro for the reception and extended greetings of General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich, and other Vietnamese leaders to General Raul Castro.

The Vietnamese head delegate affirmed that Vietnam always wants to foster the fine, faithful and pure relations between the two militaries in particular and between the two Parties, States, and peoples in general. He highlighted the practical outcomes of the bilateral defense cooperation over the past time which have contributed greatly to raising defense capabilities of each country and ensuring peace in the region and the world as a whole.

Accordingly, the two sides have intensified their cooperation in education and training, military medicine, defense industry, protection of the socialist political system, and combat against schemes of hostile forces. More especially, Vietnam and Cuba are implementing the document on history of the Vietnam-Cuba defense ties in a bid to educate both Vietnamese and Cuban young generations of the friendship and solidarity of the two countries in general and bilateral defense cooperation in particular.

Reported by Bao Trung (from Havana)

Translated by Tran Hoai