Top legislator’s visit to promote Vietnam – Cuba multifaceted cooperation: expert
Hanoi (VNA) – The upcoming official visit to Cuba
by Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue will contribute to creating
opportunities for the two countries to learn from the experience of each other in
various fields, promote exchange between their legislative bodies, and reach
agreements related to political, diplomatic and economic ties, a Cuban expert
has said.
In an interview
granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Dr. Ruvislei
González Saez, Vice President of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association, affirmed that the visit will go beyond traditional
protocol and receive attention from high-ranking leaders in the Caribbean nation.
For
Cuba, welcoming a high-level leader from Vietnam in Havana is not only a
political-diplomatic protocol but also a reunion between brothers, said the expert
said who is also Director of the Sectorial Program of the International Relations in Cuba.
NA Chairman Hue’s visit is the fourth to Cuba by a Vietnamese top legislator
in the 21st century.
The official emphasised that the relationship between Cuba and Vietnam has great
significance not only in terms of international relations but also for the national construction and defence in the respective
nations.
Close and regular dialogues between the two parties and governments
have created conditions for the two sides to strengthen mutual trust and understanding
and share their experience in addressing challenges in the context of complicated development of the world and regional situation, he said.
The
mutual trust between Cuba and Vietnam, nurtured by Cuban revolutionary
leader Fidel Castro and President Ho Chi Minh, has enabled the two countries to
maintain a common stance at bilateral and multilateral forums, and support each
other during the most difficult times.
According to the expert, although political and
diplomatic relations between Cuba and Vietnam have always been at the highest
level, there still remains a big room for the two sides to further expand cooperation
with new mechanisms, especially economic, trade, and investment connections.
With its increasing presence in the Latin American and Caribbean regions,
Vietnam needs to have more knowledge about the regions to promote economic
interests. Meanwhile, Cuba can serve as a bridge to help Vietnam through
diverse economic agreements within the framework of the Latin American
Integration Association (ALADI) or the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), he said.
Vietnam can be also a bridge for Cuba to connect with the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Thanks to Vietnam's role as the ASEAN Chair in
2020 and the support of many other countries, Cuba became a member of the Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) in 2020, he went on.
Furthermore, Cuba and Vietnam can also step up cooperation in specific fields such as health care, biotechnology, environmental protection, tourism,
customs services, public administration, socio-culture, and legal and academic
issues; and enhance twinning relationship between localities, González Saez said, adding that Cuba can learn from Vietnam's experience in developing
a socialist-oriented market economy.
Regarding bilateral cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic, he mentioned the
great potential for the two sides to boost cooperation in biotechnology, as
well as in research on prevention and treatment protocols, saying that
Cuba has successfully controlled the pandemic and is willing to share its experience with Vietnam./.