Hanoi (VNA) - President of the Council of State and Councilof Ministers of Cuba Miguel Mario Diaz Canel Bermudez and his spouse starttheir official friendly visit to Vietnam from November 8-10 at the invitationof the State President and the Prime Minister of Vietnam.

The visit is a step to continue bolstering the special relations betweenVietnam and Cuba and realise agreements reached during the State visit to Cubaby General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong in Marchthis year and the visit to Vietnam by Vice President of the Council of State ofCuba Salvador Valdes Mesa last September.

It reiterates Vietnam’s consistent policy of unceasingly developing and cementingthe friendship, fraternal solidarity, mutual trust, and comprehensivecooperation between the Parties, States, Governments and people of the twocountries.

It also affirms Vietnam’s support for the revolutionary cause of Cuba.

The solidarity and fraternal relationship between Vietnam and Cuba werefostered by Presidents Fidel Castro and Ho Chi Minh. The relationship hasbecome a valuable asset and a source of great encouragement for therevolutionary cause of each country.

The two countries established diplomatic ties in December 1960.

Over the past years, the time-honoured solidarity, mutual support andcomprehensive cooperation between the two countries have been strengthened inall spheres.

Vietnam is one of the ten biggest world trade partners of Cuba and thesecond biggest in Asia.

Vietnam exports rice, coal, chemicals, garment-textiles and computers toCuba while importing pharmaceutical products from the Caribbean country.

Two-way trade averaged 170 million USD each year between 2012 and 2014,and climbed to 218 million USD in 2015, and 230 million USD in 2016 and 2017,with Vietnam enjoying a trade surplus.

Cuba imported about300,000-400,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam each year.-VNA