Vietnam’s State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has arrived in New York to attend the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, set to take place from September 21-24.

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc arrived at J. F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on September 20 evening (local time). Photos: VNA

Phuc's attendance at this event also marked the 44th anniversary of Vietnam joining the UN on September 20, 1977. For the past 40 years, Vietnam-UN relations have contributed to protecting national interests, while ensuring a peaceful and favorable environment for development.

Vietnam, as an active member of the UN, has been pushing for global integration and promote its status on the global stage.

To date, the country has sent 243 officers to UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York, and deployed three level-2 field hospitals in South Sudan.

Vietnam won the election to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the 2020-2021 tenure after getting a record high of 192 votes out of the 193 UN members. During this period, the country has actively contributed to UNSC activities by promoting bilateral ties with other country members.

During his stay in the US, Phuc is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the UN General Assembly’s 76th session, and the Global Covid-19 Summit themed “Ending the Pandemic and Building Back Better.”

The State President would also hold bilateral meetings with country leaders on the sidelines of the General Assembly, along with leaders of US corporations to promote investments in Vietnam.

State President wraps up Cuba visit

Phuc’s travel to New York following his visit to Cuba from September 18-20 at the invitation of First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez. Photo: VNA

Vietnam and Cuba later released a 12-point joint statement to mark this occasion.

According to the Vietnam News Agency, both countries agreed to expand, foster, and further deepen their fraternal relations, solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation to make more positive contributions to the national defense and construction in each country as well as the stability and development in the two regions and the world as a whole.

Both sides expressed a belief that future generations of both nations will remain loyal to the everlasting heritage owned between the two peoples, maintain their solidarity, and continue to walk hand in hand in the cause of national construction and protection of socialism in each country for a fairer and more sustainable world.

Vietnam spoke highly of the prestige and recognized contributions of Cuba to the international solidarity in Covid-19 prevention and control. Vietnam acknowledged that despite the embargo and conditions of a developing country, Cuba has become the first and only Latin American-Caribbean country to successfully develop three types of Covid-19 vaccine.

Vietnam affirmed its consistent stance of supporting the just struggle of the Cuban people for the immediate and unconditional end of ungrounded and unilateral economic, trade, and financial blockade against Cuba, opposing the increase of unilateral sanctions against the country and emphasizing that these measures have aggravated the socio-economic difficulties facing the Cuban people in the current epidemic context.

Cuba State President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez thanked Vietnam for its invaluable support to the country in the field of food security, highlighting the donation of rice and medical supplies of the Vietnamese Party, State and people to the Cuban people since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The two sides agreed that the close bilateral relations between Vietnam and Cuba would contribute to the expansion of Cuba's dialogue and cooperation with other countries and Southeast Asia, as well as between Vietnam and Latin America, and the Caribbean. The Vietnamese side welcomed Cuba's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).

They acknowledged the role of regional and inter-regional organizations in consolidating friendly, peaceful, and cooperative relations based on mutual respect, non-interference, and respect for differences, and peaceful coexistence, as stated in the Declaration of Latin America and the Caribbean as Areas of Peace.

The two sides reaffirmed the validity of the fundamental principles of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM); the movement’s goals, principles, and role in the current international context need to be thoroughly respected; as well as appreciated the movement's contributions to the defense of International Law. They also reaffirmed the commitment to promoting peace and international security and disarmament, especially the disarmament of nuclear weapons. They welcomed the signing and ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Vietnam reaffirmed its support for efforts to resume dialogue and expand cooperation between the US and Cuba on issues of mutual concern, on the basis of equality, respect for sovereignty, independence, and political institution of each country.

The two sides will continue to support each other at international organizations and multilateral forums to which they are members. They agreed on the importance of effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and continue to actively contribute to climate change response efforts.