Cuban Prime Minister's visit to Vietnam: Prioritizing cooperation to ensure food security

At the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba Manuel Marrero Cruz arrived in Hanoi on the evening of September 28. The official welcoming ceremony is scheduled to take place this morning in Hanoi. The visit will last until October 2, 2022.

This official friendship visit to Vietnam is the first visit outside Latin America by Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz since taking office (December 2019), and also the first visit by a high-ranking Cuban leader to Vietnam since 2018.

VOV reporter interviewed Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen, about the significance of this special visit.

PV:Dear Ambassador, could you please tell us the purpose and significance of Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz's visit to Vietnam this time?

Ambassador Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen:The visit of Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz will mark a very important moment in the development of the friendship and solidarity that have always existed between Vietnam and Cuba. This is a visit that will deepen the strategic areas of mutual interest to both countries.

Also present in this working group was Mr. Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz, Minister of Trade and Foreign Investment; Co-Chairman of the Vietnam - Cuba Intergovernmental Committee. Mr. Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz has been working directly with Vietnam for the past several days to prepare for a document to be signed and implemented between the two countries in the 2023-2025 period.

The two sides will focus on implementing the directions planned by the Intergovernmental Committee such as: Ensuring food security for Cuba; promoting investment between the two countries; increasing the export of Cuban goods to the Vietnamese market; as well as promoting cooperation in the fields of health, pharmaceuticals, high technology, etc. and enhancing Vietnam's very important presence in the Mariel Special Development Zone.

The two sides will also consider the possibilities of developing cooperation in the field of sports.

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen.

PV:It can be said that the relationship between Vietnam and Cuba is considered a rare and exemplary brotherly relationship in the world. Could you please tell us about the outstanding achievements in the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba in recent times?

Ambassador Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen:Vietnam and Cuba have always maintained a close relationship. Although the impacts of the pandemic have greatly limited the ability to exchange contacts over the past two years, the two countries have still carried out many high-level activities such as the meeting between General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Díaz-Canel.

In addition, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc's visit to Cuba last September was the first by a foreign head of state to Cuba during the pandemic. The two countries' National Assembly Chairmen also held several online meetings.

It can be seen that, despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the connection and communication between the two countries are still maintained at the highest level.

Similarly, the 38th and 39th meetings of the Intergovernmental Committee between the two countries were also held online, yielding some important results.

Vietnam's rice production cooperation program in Cuba has also achieved much progress.

In the context of the world economy having many disturbances, Cuba's economy is experiencing many difficulties due to the embargo and the serious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a stable supply of rice from Vietnam to Cuba is a very important source.

Vietnam’s investments in Cuba are being consolidated. Vietnam is the main Asian investor in Cuba and one of the main investors in the Mariel Special Development Zone. Specifically, Cuba has granted the sole concession to Viglacera JSC on a plot of land in the Mariel Special Zone to develop technology and attract investment.

Vietnamese investment is increasingly present in cooperation in coffee production, aquaculture and other areas in the agricultural sector in Cuba.

On the other hand, products from Cuba’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries continue to be present in the Vietnamese market. Recently, Cuba successfully exported COVID-19 vaccines: Abdala and Soberana to Vietnam.

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen expects Vietnamese investors to continue to increase their presence in the Mariel Special Development Zone.

PV:Dear Ambassador, what areas will Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz's official visit to Vietnam concretize and promote?

Ambassador Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen:As I said, with a Vietnamese company investing in building an important branch in the Mariel Special Development Zone, I am confident that this Economic Zone will welcome more investments from Vietnam in all sectors. We expect Vietnamese investors to continue to increase their presence in the Mariel Special Development Zone.

Cuba is also promoting investments in renewable energy, specifically photovoltaics, to further strengthen investment relations with Vietnam in this field. Cuba hopes that Vietnam will begin participating in the development of tourism in Cuba in the near future. This is one of Cuba's key industries and has the most foreign investment.

Up to now, the two sides have identified a number of potential projects, as well as made progress in the negotiation process for Vietnam to participate in investing in the tourism sector in Cuba.

With the presence of the Cuban Minister of Agriculture in the working delegation of Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, we would like to emphasize cooperation in the agricultural sector between Vietnam and Cuba such as: Production of rice, coffee or other agricultural products in which Vietnam has strengths and Cuba has similar conditions for development./.