Vietnam, Cuba bolster defence cooperation

At the talks between Sen. Lieut. Gen. Trinh Van Quyet, secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and head of the General Department of Politics and Sen. Lieut. Gen. Álvaro López Miera, member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba, Minister of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces. (Photo: VNA)

At the talks with Sen. Lieut. Gen. Álvaro López Miera, member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba, Minister of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, the two sides agreed to continue to increase the exchange of high-level delegations as well as delegations between agencies and units of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and the Political Department of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces; share professional experiences between agencies in charge of Party and political affairs in the army, as well as experience between young officers of the two countries; and promote cultural exchanges.

They consented to continue sharing the results of research in political and ideological education and organisational development of the Party, while stressing the need to further prioritise cooperation in human resources training, and effectively implement ongoing information and education programmes about the history, significance, and special traditional friendship between the two countries and their armies.

The two sides consented collaborate to complete episodes 4 and 5 of the documentary "Two hearts beat as one", expedite the completion of the book "Vietnam - Cuba defence cooperation through memoirs of historical witnesses," and promote upcoming events, such as as the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army and 35 years of the All-People Defence Festival, the 80th traditional day of the VPA’s General Department of Politics, and the 65th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Cuba (1960 - 2025).

Both host and guest shared the view that in the coming years, the world situation is expected to continue to become complicated and unpredictable, especially issues related to territorial sovereignty, armed conflicts and climate change, presenting challenges for defence cooperation between the two countries in general, and between the VPA’s General Department of Politics and the Political Directorate of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces in particular.

Such a context requires both sides to increase close coordination, promote understanding, and effectively implement the agreements made by the senior leadership of the two parties, states, and armies, they noted.

During the visit, Quyet and his entourage paid a courtesy visit to Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba, during which the host affirmed the Party, State and people of Cuba attach importance to the special traditional friendship with Vietnam, and continue to stand in solidarity with Vietnam in national construction and development.

Briefing his host of the outcomes, Quyet proposed the two countries’ senior leaders continue to create conditions for the two countries’ armies, and their two political agencies in particular, to effectively implement well agreements reached at the talks.

On the occasion, the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba organised an ceremony to present the Playa Girón Order from the President of the State Council of of Cuba and a replica of the sword of Cuba’s national hero Antonio Maceo to Sen. Lieut. Gen. Trinh Van Quyet, in recognition of his contributions to consolidating and strengthening the special traditional friendship and cooperation between the Party, State, people and the armies of Cuba and Vietnam.

Quyet and the delegation visited a number of military facilities, the High Military Academy of the Ministry of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces and attended the handover ceremony of episodes 2 and 3 of the documentary "Two hearts beat as one," met with several families of martyrs and veterans who fought in Vietnam and Cuban medical experts who came to Vietnam to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. They also visited the Vietnamese Embassy and laid a wreath at the Monument of President Ho Chi Minh in the park named after him in Havana./.