Illustrative image (Source: Radio Cadena Agramonte) Havana (VNA) – The Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Governmental Committee convened its 34th session in Havana, Cuba with an aim to lift bilateral economic ties on par with the close political ties between the two Parties and States.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha, who is also co-chair of the committee, informed participants about key contents of the 12 th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
He proposed several priority tasks for the committee, including working for the early signing of a new-generation free trade agreement, approving the fifth phase of the bilateral rice farming development project, and promoting the implementation of joint projects on the cultivation of coffee, corn and soybeans, and on aquaculture.
The committee also needs to work out specific contents for cooperation in the fields of tourism, health care, vaccine and drugs production, science-technology, telecommunications and cultural exchanges.
Another important task is to remove hindrances facing the two countries’ investment projects.
Cuban Minister of Overseas Trade and Investment and co-chair of the committee Rodrigo Malmierca, for his part, thanked Vietnam for its support to Cuba’s aquaculture and agricultural production over the past years.
Malmierca underlined administrative and tariff incentives offered to foreign investors in Mariel special development zone, which houses Cuba’s only deep-water seaport.
He also spoke highly of potential of bilateral cooperation in the fields of tourism, renewable energy, infrastructure, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, biology, health care and telecommunications.
The session is due to last till November 23.-VNA
