Further deepening the special traditional solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and Cuba.

On the afternoon of July 24th, at the National Assembly building, Politburo member and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man received Politburo member, Chairman of the National Assembly of the People's Power, and President of the Council of State of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez, leading the Cuban delegation attending the state funeral of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and Cuban National Assembly President Esteban Lazo Hernández. (Photo: DUY LINH)

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man affirmed that he will always maintain, continue, and develop the legacy of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong In its relations with Cuba, the Vietnamese Party, State, and National Assembly attach great importance to and are determined to further deepen the special traditional solidarity and friendship. Vietnam and Cuba have always supported the just revolutionary cause of the fraternal Cuban people; standing side by side and accompanying Cuba in the process of building and defending the Fatherland.

During the meeting, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man sincerely thanked the Party, State, and people of Cuba for sending National Assembly Chairman and President of the Council of State Esteban Lazo Hernandez and his colleagues to attend the State funeral of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, bringing to the Party, State, and people of Vietnam a warm feeling, deep sympathy, and encouragement at this time.

The Chairman of the National Assembly expressed his emotion upon learning that the Cuban National Assembly, in its plenary session on July 19, 2024 (the day General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong passed away), observed a minute of silence and declared a national mourning period to officially commemorate General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong from 6:00 AM on July 20 to 12:00 AM on July 21, with the national mourning ceremony taking place throughout July 22.

According to the Speaker of the National Assembly: These are extremely sincere gestures, reflecting the deep friendship that only exists between comrades and brothers.

The Speaker of the National Assembly shared that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has always shown special affection for the country and the Cuban people.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks at the reception. (Photo: DUY LINH)

Throughout his life, the General Secretary always affirmed that the loyal and steadfast relationship between Vietnam and Cuba has remained strong, overcoming all challenges and continuously developing in both breadth and depth, contributing to the just cause of both nations.

Expressing profound sorrow over the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Esteban Lazo Hernandez sincerely conveyed to the Party, State, and people of fraternal Vietnam the deepest condolences of the Party, State, and people of Cuba.

Emphasizing that the passing of the General Secretary is an immense loss, President Esteban Lazo Hernandez stated that the General Secretary was a great thinker who had diligently fostered lasting friendship, solidarity, and cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba.

In particular, the General Secretary visited Cuba five times, had many important meetings with Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro and other high-ranking Cuban leaders, and always strived to contribute to the development and further strengthening of comprehensive cooperation. Vietnam-Cuba in all fields.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's immense contributions to theoretical research on socialism applied to the specific context of Vietnam are invaluable assets.

President Esteban Lazo Hernandez expressed his confidence that the Party, State, and people of Vietnam will continue to overcome all difficulties and achieve great successes in the future; he affirmed that the Party, State, and people of Cuba will continue to implement cooperation agreements to further strengthen Vietnam-Cuba relations.

Opening up important collaborative activities

The two Speakers highly appreciated the positive development in relations between the legislative bodies of the two countries, noting that high-level and other visits have opened up important cooperation activities, bringing the relationship between the two parliaments to a deeper and more effective level.

Speaker Esteban Lazo Hernandez expressed his hope that the parliaments of the two countries would continue to strengthen exchanges of delegations and make good preparations for the first Inter-Parliamentary Conference between the two parliaments, which is expected to be held in Havana soon, including the organization of a bilateral business forum.

Cuban National Assembly President Esteban Lazo Hernández speaks at the reception. (Photo: DUY LINH)

President Esteban Lazo Hernandez expressed his confidence that, with the results already achieved, both sides will successfully organize these activities, especially in the current context, and that Vietnam's valuable lessons learned will be very helpful to Cuba.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man stated: The Vietnamese National Assembly welcomes the proposal of the Cuban National Assembly to hold the first inter-parliamentary conference between the two National Assemblies; and highly appreciates the active and proactive coordination of the relevant Committees and the Secretaries-General of the two National Assemblies in preparing for the successful, practical, and effective organization of this important conference.

The leaders of the two Parliaments requested that the committees of the two Parliaments, with the two Foreign Affairs Committees as the focal point, continue to coordinate closely to successfully organize the Conference; and agreed that the Parliaments of the two countries would continue to strengthen cooperation in the spirit of the signed cooperation protocol with new and broader cooperation contents and mechanisms.

Accordingly, the two sides will strengthen contacts at high levels and at other levels, including committees, parliamentary representatives of the two countries, and the two Parliamentary Friendship Groups, in order to exchange professional experience in the fields of legislation, supervision, and decision-making on important national issues.

Both sides will continue to leverage the role of their respective legislative bodies in promoting bilateral relations; overseeing and encouraging ministries, departments, localities, and businesses to actively and effectively implement signed treaties, agreements, and understandings.

Scene of the reception at the National Assembly House. (Photo: DUY LINH)

The two Parliaments will strengthen information exchange and share experiences in organizing and operating Parliaments effectively, especially in institution building, legal systems, and monitoring the implementation of laws.

The two sides continue to cooperate in multilateral international forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and other multilateral parliamentary organizations; supporting each other's positions on regional and international issues of common concern.

Strengthening cooperation between agencies of the National Assembly, the Office of the National Assembly of Vietnam and the Secretariat of the National Assembly of Cuba, especially in the fields of training and professional development of staff, exchange of experience in research, comprehensive advisory work and organization of parliamentary activities.

On this occasion, through President Esteban Lazo Hernandez, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man sends his warmest greetings to the leaders of the Cuban Party and State.

Source