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| Party Central Committee member and Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong (right) received Ambassador Rogelio Sierra Diaz, President of the Raul Roa Garcia Institute of Advanced International Relations, on May 28. (Photo: Jackie Chan) |
Dear Ambassador Rogelio Sierra Diaz, during your visit to Vietnam, which included a series of meetings and working sessions with leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , leading organizations and research institutes in Vietnam, could you share the outstanding results of this visit?
My working visit to Vietnam this time, starting from May 28-31, can be said to be a very successful business trip, especially this year, the two countries are jointly organizing activities to celebrate the 65th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations, the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Year. The purpose of our visit this time is to promote and strengthen connections with research institutes, training facilities, and universities in Vietnam, especially in the fields of political -diplomatic research, academia and international relations.
I visited the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, the Academy of Journalism and Communication, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Diplomatic Academy, etc. I was also received by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam. During the meetings and working sessions, we had practical and effective exchanges, focusing on the goal of promoting cooperation, re-establishing academic relations on international relations, and strategic research with Vietnamese units. I think we have completed very impressively and achieved very practical and specific results for the goals as set out during our visit.
Regarding the specific results of the visit, it can be summarized that we have agreed with universities and units on training cooperation, exchanging scientific articles on international relations to be published and disseminated in the media and specialized magazines of each country; establishing a form of joint research between scholars of the Raúl Roa García Higher Academy and Vietnamese academic agencies and units. We also agreed to cooperate, exchange and attend international conferences organized by each country and invite partners to attend. With the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, we have activated a cooperation agreement between the two sides in academic exchanges, student exchanges, etc.
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| Ambassador Rogelio Sierra Diaz, President of the Raul Roa Garcia Institute of Advanced International Relations, gives an interview to The World and Vietnam Newspaper. (Photo: Jackie Chan) |
Having served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba for more than a decade, how do you view the historical depth, the strength and loyalty between the Vietnamese and Cuban peoples through the revolutionary and development stages, especially on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations?
Cuba and Vietnam have had a very strong and special relationship, a solidarity that is rare in the history of international relations. The flow of relations between the two countries began right from the time of the successful Cuban Revolution in 1959, at a time when Vietnam was still fighting against the invading imperialist forces.
The loyal and steadfast relationship between the two countries has since been nurtured by generations of leaders and people of the two countries on the basis of deep mutual trust. We can recall the historic visit of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro to Vietnam and to the Quang Tri war zone in 1973 when the smoke of gunpowder was still lingering there.
Immediately after the establishment of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, the Republic of Cuba was the first and only country to send an Ambassador and present its credentials to the Government. On March 4, 1969, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba presented his credentials to the President of the Central Committee of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam at the Cuban Office (Embassy) in a forest in Tay Ninh. The fact that the Republic of Cuba was the first and only country to send an Ambassador and establish an Embassy in the war zone in 1969 in Tay Ninh as well as immediately opening an Embassy in Hanoi after the South was completely liberated are vivid proofs of the close relationship and standing side by side in difficult times of both countries.
Inheriting that extremely fine tradition, today, the support and close coordination between the two countries at multilateral forums, protecting each other's legitimate interests between the two countries continue to be a testament to the loyal and special solidarity relationship between the two peoples. From the traditional friendship, standing side by side through bombs and bullets, today the two countries have continued to expand and upgrade their relationship in the economic field and many other fields, which has helped to expand and deepen the special bilateral relationship.
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| Director of the Diplomatic Academy Nguyen Hung Son (right) presents a souvenir painting to Ambassador Rogelio Sierra Diaz, May 29. (Photo: DAV) |
The relationship between Vietnam and Cuba is increasingly expanding and diversifying in many fields, including agriculture. Most recently, Vietnam's cooperation and assistance, including rice production right on Cuban fields using many different models and with Vietnam's support, have been very successful.
This impressive result is a concrete demonstration of the realization of the direction of General Secretary and President of Vietnam To Lam during his historic visit to Cuba in September 2024. Currently, rice productivity achieved from farming models with the help of Vietnam is higher than previous production forms in Cuba, which has gradually ensured food security for us.
The Raúl Roa García Institute of Advanced International Relations is considered the "cradle" of training generations of diplomats for Cuba. Can you tell us more about this special school and the Academy's contributions to Cuba's revolutionary diplomacy?
The Raúl Roa García Institute of International Relations has a history of more than 45 years. It is impossible not to mention the role of training human resources for Cuba's Diplomacy since the early years of the Cuban Revolution's success in the 1960s. In Cuba, the Raúl Roa García Institute of International Relations is the main institution in training human resources in international relations for our country.
Most of the staff of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs are trained at this school with a long history. With such an important role, our Academy has the highest responsibility and commitment in training high-quality human resources for the Cuban Diplomatic sector. Not only providing a team of domestic diplomatic staff, the Academy is also the place to train, so to speak, all Cuban Diplomatic staff working at Cuban diplomatic missions abroad and international organizations.
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| Principal Rogelio Sierra Diaz and Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam (center) with Embassy staff and reporters from The Gioi & Viet Nam Newspaper after the interview. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
The Ambassador's visit takes place in the context of the two countries organizing many events to celebrate the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Year. On this occasion, do you have any message to send to readers of The Gioi and Viet Nam Newspaper, who are always very interested in the situation in Cuba and new developments in bilateral relations?
I would like to send to all Vietnamese people, including readers of The Gioi and Viet Nam Newspaper, a message from the bottom of my heart about friendship, a message about commitment, solidarity and close cooperation like brothers.
On this occasion, I would like to send to the Vietnamese people my sincere wishes for continued success in the development and progress of the country in all fields, to bring more benefits to the Vietnamese people, and to help the country enter a new, more glorious and brighter era.
Thank you very much Ambassador!
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tu-rung-tay-ninh-den-giang-duong-la-habana-hanh-trinh-ben-chat-cua-tinh-huu-nghi-viet-nam-cuba-316142.html
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