The municipal party committees of Hanoi and Havana inked a cooperation agreement for 2023-2028 on June 9, aiming for comprehensive cooperation in all fields.

Dinh Tien Dung, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, meets the First Secretary of the Havana Party Committee, Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar, on June 9. Photo: Thanh Hai/The Hanoi Times

The cooperation agreement will strengthen bilateral relations between Havana and Hanoi and pave the way for the two cities to achieve future successes, Hanoi Party Committee Secretary Dinh Tien Dung told Havana Party Committee First Secretary Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar.

"Hanoi has always placed its relations with Cuba and La Habana at the top of its priorities. The authorities and people of Hanoi will respect and further develop our local-to-local relationship with the Cuban capital," Dung said.

"The partnership agreement and memoranda of understanding signed between the two cities show that there is great room for both sides to expand cooperation," he said.

Dung called on the two capitals to increase cooperation in health care, agriculture, trade, education and training, technology transfer, biology and pharmaceuticals.

He recommended that La Habana send high-quality doctors and medical specialists to share experience, help train Hanoi personnel, and promote cooperation and implementation of high-tech agriculture projects.

"Vietnam appreciates the affection and support of the Cuban government and people during the pandemic, especially the transfer of vaccines," Dung said.

For his part, First Secretary of Havana's Party Committee Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar said the recent achievements of Vietnam and Hanoi are impressive.

The friendship, brotherhood and partnership between the two nations and capitals, cultivated by the late Presidents Fidel Castro and Ho Chi Minh, are the precious assets that both  Vietnam and Cuba must preserve, develop and pass on from generation to generation, he said.

The agreement between the Party committees of the two cities will help expand the traditional ties between the two sides, Luis said.

On behalf of the Cuban government and people, the First Secretary thanked Vietnam for supporting Cuba over the past six decades and hoped the tradition would continue.

In 2025, he added that Cuba will host a workshop on the lives of President Ho Chi Minh and President Fidel Castro to celebrate the former's 135th birthday.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, trade conflicts, and energy crisis, Cuba has strived to fulfill socio-economic development tasks and provide good conditions for the people, he said.

Luis thanked Hanoi for sending 2,000 tons of rice to La Habana, showing the love and affection of the Vietnamese people for the Cuban people.