Hanoi (VNA) – Cuban Prime Minister Manuel MarreroCruz left Ho Chi Minh City on October 2 afternoon, concluding his official visitto Vietnam since September 28.

During his stay in Vietnam, the leader held talks withhis Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh, paid a courtesy call to Party GeneralSecretary Nguyen PhuTrong, and separately met President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National AssemblyChairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

He was bestowed with Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh Order andattended a Vietnam-Cuba business forum. He also had a meeting with HCM City leadersand witnessed the signing of multiple agreements between the two countries.

In his reception for the Cuban leader, Party General Secretary Trong said his Vietnam visit willdeepen the special friendship and cooperation between the two countries and Partieslong nurtured by generations of Vietnamese and Cuban leaders, and affirmedthat the Vietnamese Party, State and people forever treasure Cuba’s support to Vietnam's national struggle for independence and reconstruction.

Meeting President Phuc, the Cuban PM said his coutry wishes to further beef up the long-standing friendship and comprehensivepartnership with Vietnam, adding Cuba hopes to learn from Vietnam’s experiencein policy making and enforcement in socio-economic development, internationalintegration and response to global economic challenges.

Amidst global uncertainties, Vietnam always keeps its solidarity with and backs its brother Cuba, Phuc said.

In his bilateral meeting, NA Chairman Hue told the Cuban leader that the Vietnamese NA will continue to coordinate closely with its Cubancounterpart at regional and international parliamentary forums and exchangeexperience in law making and supervision.

Holding talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Chinh, both sides expressed their delight at the progress the two countries haveachieved in cooperation in agriculture, investment and health care as well asthe effectiveness of the bilateral cooperation mechanism.

The two PMs agreed to maintain dialogues and high-leveldelegation exchanges and to enhance partnership via the two Parties’ theoreticalconferences and meetings of the inter-governmental committees on economic andscience-technology cooperation.

The two sides discussed ways to practically and effectivelyintensify cooperation in politics and diplomacy, national defence and security,trade and investment, health care, education and training, pharmaceuticals andothers.

PM Chinh stated that Vietnam is ready to share experience withCuba in making agriculture a key economic pillar.

The two leaders plan to create all possible conditions forinvestors of each other in the areas of tourism and industrial-park infrastructuredevelopment, manufacturing of construction materials and consumer goods, and renewableenergy while seeking opportunities for partnership in other potential fields.

The two sides agreed to continue consulting and supporting each other at international and multilateral forums and backed one another’s stanceon settling disputes through peaceful solutions based on international law andUN Charter.

PM Chinh later announced Vietnam will donate 5,000 tonnes ofrice to help Cuba address current socio-economic challenges.

It was the first visit to a non-Latin American countrysince the Cuban leader took office in December 2019 and also the first by a Cuban high-levelleader to Vietnam since 2018./.