Vietnamese PM meets with top Cuban leader on BRICS summit sidelines

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính had a meeting with First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz Canel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6 (local time) on the sidelines of the expanded BRICS summit.

PM Chính conveyed the warm regards from Party General Secretary Tô Lâm, State President Lương Cường, National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, and from himself to General Raul Castro, Diaz-Canel, and other Cuban leaders.

He also extended an official invitation from Việt Nam's key leaders to Diaz-Canel to visit Việt Nam and attend the celebrations of the country's 80th National Day (September 2, 1945 – 2025).

The Vietnamese PM stated that he has been closely directing Vietnamese ministries, sectors, and businesses to actively implement high-level agreements reached during Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm’s state visit to Cuba in September 2024. These include cooperation in food security, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.

He reaffirmed the Party, State and people of Việt Nam's consistent support for Cuba, demanding the US to end its embargo against and remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

For his part, Diaz-Canel expressed his deep appreciation for the strong solidarity and valuable support extended by the Vietnamese Party, Government, National Assembly, and people. He described General Secretary Tô Lâm’s 2024 visit as a historic milestone that ushered in a new chapter in Cuba–Việt Nam relations.

He welcomed the presence and effective operations of Vietnamese enterprises in Cuba, and affirmed the Caribbean country's continued commitment to create favourable conditions for them to expand business and investment activities, bringing tangible benefits to both sides.

The two leaders agreed on the importance of further increasing high-level delegation exchanges and meetings, and maintaining regular bilateral mechanisms, including political consultations between the two foreign ministries, the Intergovernmental Committee, theory workshops between the two Parties, and defence policy dialogues, aiming to ensure effective implementation of cooperation agreements.

View of the talks between Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (right) and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz Canel on July 6. — VNA/VNS Photo

They pledged close coordination in organising a wide range of activities in 2025 to celebrate the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties (December 2, 1960 –2025) and the Việt Nam–Cuba Friendship Year. These events are intended to educate younger generations about the enduring solidarity and special friendship between the two nations.

The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global matters of shared concern, agreeing to continue close coordination at multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), South–South Cooperation, and the Forum for East Asia–Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).

On this occasion, PM Chính conveyed the invitation from State President Lương Cường to Cuba to send a delegation to the signing ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime, to be held in Hà Nội in October 2025.