"For Vietnam, Cuba is ready to give its blood." Fidel's heartfelt phrase was latent yesterday, during the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Greater Antilles and that sister nation.
At the event, chaired by the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, and the President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, homage was paid to the precursors of brotherly love between the two peoples: the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, and Ho Chi Minh.
Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Cuba, Le Thanh Tung, exposed the dissimilar samples of solidarity, dedication and companionship of our country in the reconstruction of the Asian nation, after the war.
He recalled the willingness of Cuban doctors to provide their services at the epicenter of the current pandemic and the shipment of a batch of drugs from our biotechnology industry as part of the joint experiences in the confrontation with COVID-19.
Thanh Tung reaffirmed Vietnam's invariable position against the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on the island by the United States, and the will to continue strengthening exchanges between the two countries. He recalled a phrase from the Cuban President, when he said: "The world would be much better if it had relations like those of Cuba and Vietnam."
Prime minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, evoked the words of José Martí in his writing A walk through the land of the Anamites, with descriptions of that people, which he classified as disinterested, patriot and brave.
He also recalled Fidel's visit to South Vietnam, becoming the only Head of Government to do so in the middle of the war, and there he would declare that he had full confidence in the victory of the National Liberation Front.
He thanked the Vietnamese support during the hard years of the special period, and recalled the broad solidarity movement of his people, who sent tons of rice and other supplies to the Island.
Since December 2nd, 1960, the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations has allowed cooperation in areas such as agriculture, construction, pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, culture, technology and education.
Cuba was the first country to create a Solidarity Committee with South Vietnam, the first country in Latin America to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and the first country in the Western Hemisphere to receive students from the Asian nation at its universities.