Full text of the Joint Statement between Vietnam and Cuba

Comrade Raul Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, welcomed General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Photo: Tri Dung/VNA

According to the special correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency, on the occasion of the State visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to the Republic of Cuba from March 28-30 at the invitation of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers Raul Castro Ruz, the two sides issued a Joint Statement.

VNA respectfully introduces the full text of the Vietnam-Cuba joint statement.

1. At the invitation of General Raul Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong led a high-ranking delegation of the Party and State of Vietnam to pay a State visit to the Republic of Cuba from March 28 to 30, 2018.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong held talks with First Secretary, President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers, General Raul Castro Ruz; met and exchanged views with Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura; Politburo member, President of the National Assembly Esteban Lazo Hernandez; Politburo member, First Vice President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez. All activities took place in an atmosphere of brotherhood and mutual trust.

Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong laid wreaths at the Monument to Cuban National Hero Jose Marti and at the Statue of President Ho Chi Minh; visited the city of Santiago de Cuba; visited the Jose Marti Mausoleum and the tomb of Cuban Revolutionary Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz; visited a number of historical sites in the heroic city of Santiago de Cuba; visited Vo Thi Thang Primary School; met and spoke with representatives of the two countries' young generations.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong received an Honorary Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Havana for his dedication to science and worthy contributions to the cause of building socialism in Vietnam; and for his interest in sharing with Cuba theoretical and practical experiences on Vietnam's development model.

In recognition of Comrade Raul Castro Ruz’s valuable contributions to consolidating and strengthening the relationship between the two Parties and countries and to the cause of building socialism, the Party and State of Vietnam have decided to award him the Gold Star Order, the highest award of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. On behalf of the Cuban people, General Raul Castro expressed his deep gratitude for this decision of the Party, State and people of Vietnam.

2. The two Leaders reaffirmed the special friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Cuba; it is a symbol of the times and a priceless asset of the two Parties and peoples.

The two sides affirmed their determination to continue inheriting and promoting the everlasting legacy of President Ho Chi Minh and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, the pioneers in preserving and promoting the good traditional friendship that unites the two peoples of Vietnam and Cuba.

The two sides agreed that expanding, tightening and deepening the solidarity, brotherhood and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries would contribute positively to the cause of national construction and protection in each country, and to peace, stability and development in each region and the world.

3. At the talks, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and First Secretary and President Raul Castro expressed satisfaction with the good bilateral relations between the two countries; affirmed their determination to bring the special relationship between the two countries to a new stage of development, on the basis of political trust, emphasized the need to improve the effectiveness of economic, trade, investment cooperation and other fields; informed each other about the situation of each Party and each country and discussed international issues of mutual concern.

4. The two leaders agreed that future generations of Vietnam and Cuba will be the loyal successors of the history of solidarity and friendship between the two peoples; they have been, are and will always be united in the cause of protecting the irreversible solidity of socialism and of a more just, equal and sustainable world.

5. On behalf of the Party, State and people of Vietnam, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong warmly congratulated the success of the election of deputies to the People's Councils of provinces and cities and deputies to the National Assembly of the People's Government of the 9th tenure, which took place on March 11, 2018; firmly believing that, in the light of the resolutions set forth by the 6th and 7th Congresses of the Communist Party of Cuba, Cuba will continue to successfully carry out the process of updating the socialist economic and social model, opening a new development stage in the cause of building a sovereign, independent, socialist, democratic, prosperous and sustainable nation.

Vietnam affirms its consistent stance in supporting the noble cause of the Cuban people and the struggle for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the unjustified economic, trade and financial embargo against Cuba. Vietnam reaffirms its support for efforts to normalize Cuba-US relations on the basis of equality, respect for sovereignty, independence and political institutions of each country. Vietnam highly values ​​the prestige and role of Cuba in Latin America, the Caribbean and in the international arena.

6. On behalf of the Party, State and people of Cuba, First Secretary and President Raul Castro congratulated the Party, Government and people of Vietnam on their outstanding and historic achievements in the cause of Doi Moi initiated and led by the Communist Party of Vietnam; highly appreciated Vietnam's foreign policy of peace, protection of independence, sovereignty and international integration, international prestige as well as its contributions to peace, stability, cooperation and development in Southeast Asia, Asia-Pacific and the world.

Cuba supports and firmly believes that Vietnam will continue to gain even greater achievements in the cause of building and defending the socialist Fatherland, successfully realizing the goal of "rich people, strong country, democracy, equality, civilization", building Vietnam into a modern industrialized country, and successfully building socialism in Vietnam.

7. The two leaders agreed that in the current context, when Vietnam is promoting the Doi Moi process and Cuba is actively implementing the policy of updating the socialist economic and social development model, the two sides need to maintain regular meetings and contacts at all levels. The two sides need to maintain theoretical and practical exchanges, share experiences in state leadership, socio-economic management, party building and the relationship between the Party and youth organizations; continue to cooperate closely in defense, security and foreign affairs.

8. The two sides emphasized the importance of bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as: Agreement on exchange and cooperation between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Communist Party of Cuba; Theoretical Workshop between the two Parties; Intergovernmental Committee on economic, scientific and technical cooperation; Political consultation between the two Foreign Ministries; relations between the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam and the Ministry of Revolutionary Forces of Cuba; exchanges on the socio-economic models of the two countries. The two sides expressed their determination to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of these mechanisms.

9. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Raul Castro stressed the importance of promoting and further improving the effectiveness of economic cooperation; highly appreciated the conclusion of negotiations on a new Trade Agreement between the two sides within the framework of the visit, considering this as a basis for further expanding relations in the economic and trade fields. Cuba supports increasing Vietnamese investment in Cuba, through the signing of important investment projects and will continue to create a favorable environment for this purpose.

The two sides will consider each country's potential to expand cooperation in priority sectors and areas such as energy, telecommunications, tourism, construction, medical services, agro-industry and food industry, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, transportation and other fields.

The two sides appreciated the importance of cooperation documents signed during the visit in the fields of agriculture, construction, information and communications, human resources and social security, science and technology.

Comrade Raul Castro thanked the Party, State and Government of Vietnam for canceling the debt of the Cuban Government to the Vietnamese Government, saying that this is proof of the special relationship between the two countries.

10. The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the complete similarity in the two countries' positions on many international issues; emphasized that international disputes need to be resolved by peaceful means, on the basis of respect for international law, the United Nations Charter, respect for the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and self-determination of nations, non-interference in internal affairs, and non-use or threat of use of force.

The two sides agreed that the increasingly close bilateral relationship between Vietnam and Cuba will contribute to expanding cooperation between Vietnam and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean; between Cuba and countries in the Asia-Pacific region, for peace, stability, cooperation, development and prosperity in the two regions and in the world. The two sides acknowledged the role of regional and inter-regional organizations such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) in strengthening friendly relations and cooperation on the basis of respect and peaceful coexistence, respect for international law as in the spirit of the Declaration of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Raul Castro Ruz review the Cuban Army's honor guard. Photo: Tri Dung/VNA

11. The two sides reaffirmed the validity of the basic principles of the Non-Aligned Movement; stressed that the objectives and principles of the Non-Aligned Movement must be thoroughly respected; highly appreciated the Movement's contributions to the protection of the principles of international law; believed that the Non-Aligned Movement needs to be further strengthened to effectively cope with the great challenges of today's world; affirmed the commitment to promoting international peace, security, disarmament, especially nuclear disarmament; and were pleased that Vietnam and Cuba had signed and acceded to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The two sides also agreed to effectively implement the sustainable development goals and the 2030 Agenda; continue to actively contribute to efforts in dealing with climate change, through promoting respect for and application of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, on the principle of common responsibility but respecting differences.

12. The two leaders agreed to continue supporting each other at international organizations and multilateral forums of which both countries are members, especially at the United Nations, including supporting each other's candidates and unifying common positions through regular exchanges between the two governments.

13. The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen coordination, cooperation and mutual support within the framework of the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties, the Sao Paulo Forum, as well as other political and social forums.

14. The two sides highly appreciated the successful results of the State visit to the Republic of Cuba by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; considering this an event of special significance, in the context of commemorating the 45th anniversary of the first visit to Vietnam by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, the only head of state to visit the area recently liberated by Vietnamese soldiers at the 17th parallel, Quang Tri province.

15. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong sincerely thanked First Secretary and President Raul Castro Ruz, and the Party, State and people of Cuba for the solemn welcome, warmth and hospitality shown to the General Secretary and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation.

On behalf of the leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong respectfully invited First Secretary and President Raul Castro to pay an official visit to Vietnam. Comrade Raul Castro sincerely thanked and happily accepted the invitation. The visit will be arranged through diplomatic channels.

Havana, March 29, 2018./.