Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General Luong Tam Quang held talks in Hanoi on August 15 with Cuban Minister of the Interior Major General Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, as the two sides reaffirmed their special friendship and discussed measures to deepen cooperation, particularly in cybersecurity.
On behalf of the Central Public Security Party Committee and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Quang warmly welcomed Álvarez Casas and the Cuban delegation to Vietnam for the celebration of the 80th traditional day of the People’s Public Security Force.
Quang stressed the special friendship and solidarity between the two Parties, States and people of the two nations, affirming Vietnam’s consistent stance of supporting the just cause of the Cuban Party and people in updating their socialist socio-economic model. He reiterated Vietnam’s readiness to share renewal experience and boost economic, trade and investment ties, especially cooperation in food supply and production in Cuba.
The Vietnamese minister acknowledged the challenges facing Cuba and expressed his confidence that, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba headed by First Secretary and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Cuban people would overcome all difficulties and achieve greater victories.
Quang said he had instructed relevant MPS units to implement agreements reached between the two sides, focusing on personnel training for the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, drafting a bilateral cybersecurity cooperation document, promoting collaboration in biotechnology and healthcare, completing procedures for launching a medical science research centre, and exploring agricultural cooperation to help Cuba gradually secure self-sufficiency.
The two ministers agreed with the substantive, concise but comprehensive assessments of the bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba and the relationship between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Cuban Ministry of Interior given by Álvarez Casas.
They recognised the importance of maintaining regular delegation exchanges and expanding collaboration into areas such as prison management, training, professional expertise sharing, and equipment support for national security protection.
To effectively carry out the directions agreed by Party General Secretary To Lam and First Secretary, President Díaz-Canel during the Vietnamese leader’s visit to Cuba in September 2024, Quang suggested increasing the exchange of high-level and working-level delegations to share experience, study each other’s capabilities and strengths, and propose cooperative solutions.
He underlined the need to strengthen security cooperation, share experience in safeguarding internal political security, and combat plots and activities aimed at undermining the revolution. The two sides should also promote the exchange of information and deploy joint operational plans, thereby enhancing their national positions and promoting the steadfast Vietnam–Cuba relationship on the international arena.
Quang highlighted priority cooperation areas, including the fight against organised crime, transnational crime, high-tech crime, terrorism, human trafficking, crimes in trade and tourism, emerging criminal activities, and non-traditional security threats. He also emphasised economic cooperation, particularly supporting Cuba's agricultural development and transferring biomedical technology to Vietnam.
Álvarez Casas affirmed that the special friendship and solidarity between Cuba and Vietnam is a shared treasure nurtured by generations and Cuba treasures Vietnam’s unwavering support for its revolutionary cause, especially during difficult times caused by embargo. He expressed his confidence that the measures agreed at the talks would be implemented effectively, further deepening ties between the two ministries and the two countries.
Following the talks, the two ministers witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention and Control under Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and the General Directorate of Counterintelligence under the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, marking a new step forward in cybersecurity cooperation./.
