“I come with the aim of strengthening the ties of friendship between Cuba and Vietnam and continuing to work together to build socialism,” the President of Vietnam, Truong Tan Sang, stated upon arriving to the country.
The Vietnamese leader sent greetings to the Cuban people and highlighted the excellent state of relations between the two nations, “engendered by the friendship between Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh) and compañero Fidel.”
The head of state, who is in Cuba on an official visit until September 30, was received at the José Martí International Airport in Havana by Deputy Foreign Minister Rogelio Sierra.
Invited by his Cuban counterpart, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, Truong Tan Sang will be awarded the José Martí Order, the highest decoration awarded by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba.
Tan Sang, who traveled to the island after having participated in the UN Summit on Sustainable Development, will meet with other Cuban authorities and the President of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Esteban Lazo.
The visit coincides with the celebration this year of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the nations, on December 2, and is part of the frequent contacts between top leaders of both parties to exchange views on their respective socialist processes and contribute to the consolidation of bilateral relations.
Recent examples of these ties include the visit to Hanoi by the Cuban Minister of Finance and Prices, Lina Pedraza, where she was received by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
On September 9, President Truong Tan Sang spoke with participants in the 7th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of Solidarity with Cuba, including the delegation headed by the President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, Kenia Serrano, and anti-terrorist fighter and Hero of the Republic of Cuba Antonio Guerrero.
(Granma)