On the morning of September 29, the President of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Esteban Lazo Hernández, received the President of Vietnam, Truong Tan Sang, to whom he expressed thanks on behalf of the Cuban people and government for supporting the island in difficult situations.
Lazo, also a member of the Party Political Bureau, expressed gratitude for the support Vietnam offered during the harsh years of the Special Period and their solidarity in fighting to end the U.S. blockade imposed on the island.
”You represent the heroic people of Vietnam to whom we are united by indestructible ties of fraternity rooted in a common history of struggle. When we meet with you, we do so as brothers,” stated Lazo.
”We admire Vietnam for the extraordinary example of its heroic sons and daughters, their will and resolve, spirit of hard work and tenacity, all of which have led to the construction of a country 10 times more beautiful than the unforgettable Ho Chi Minh could have dreamed,” added the President of Cuba’s Parliament.
In this sense he noted that in 1996 he experienced one Vietnam, and in 2006 he saw a different country, and today and even greater nation, which fills us with satisfaction, he added.
Likewise, he highlighted the support offered the island by Vietnamese government and party authorities with the holding of the 7th Asia Pacific Regional ConferenceforSolidaritywithCuba.
Lazo made the most of the occasion to congratulate Vietnam on the 70th anniversary of the proclamation of the country’s independence.
He emphasized the Vietnamese people’s spirit of struggle, “fully conscious – as President Ho Chi Minh would say – that nothing is more important than freedom and independence.”
Lazo thanked the Vietnamese leader for his decision to visit the National Assembly as his first activity on the island.
The President of the Asian nation arrived to Cuba on the morning of September 29, and is scheduled to hold official talks with his Cuban counterpart, Raúl Castro Ruz.
During his visit Truong Tan Sang will receive the Order of José Martí, the highest distinction awarded by Cuba’s Council of State and will also pay tribute to the country’s national hero and Ho Chi Minh.