Vietnam and Cuba should boost their bilateral cooperation, which has yet to meet its full potential despite recent progress made to deepen the traditional friendship and special partnership, the Cuban State Council Vice President Lazara Mercedes Lopez Acea said at a reception for a Vietnamese delegation on October 14.

The Vietnamese delegation is currently in Havana to attend the 32nd meeting of the Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Governmental Committee.

The Vice President lauded the results of the bilateral meetings this year and hoped both sides would devise specific targets and cooperative directions for the future.

Vietnamese Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung, who led the delegation, reiterated that the two sides reaped significant achievements in bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, agriculture, aquaculture and bio-technology.

He informed that Vietnamese business people accompanying the delegation will visit the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM) to seek opportunities for investments and experience sharing.

On his part, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Cong Soai hailed the excellent partnership between the two countries and the two capital cities of Hanoi and Havana.

Soai expressed his belief that the bilateral economic and investment ties would soon be on par with the sound long-term political relations.

On the same day, the Vietnamese delegation held a working session with Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero to seek ways to explore their great potentials for cooperation in tourism.

The Vietnamese minister highlighted the need for tourism delegation exchanges and jointly-built Cuban hotels as part of the efforts to forge connections between Vietnamese and Cuban enterprises and tourist agencies.

Additionally, the Hanoi leader presented the “Honourary Hanoi Citizen” title to Fredesman Turro Gonzalez, the former Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam, for his role in fostering friendship and solidarity between the two countries.-VNA