(Transcript: Presidency of the Republic/Translation: GI)
Dear Army General Raúl Castro Ruz and compañeros of the Historic Generation;
Compañero Esteban Lazo, President of the National Assembly of People’s Power and of the Council of State;
Deputies;
Compatriots:
Cuba is honored to have compañero Gerardo Hernández Nordelo as a member of our Council of State, today, six years since his return to the homeland. (Applause)
"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.
Top leaders of Vietnam sent messages of congratulations to their Cuban counterparts and to the people of the island on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
General secretary of the Communist Party and president of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, conveyed his congratulations to the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Raúl Castro, and to the president of the Caribbean nation, Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Mr. Secretary General;
Mr. President;
Distinguished Heads of State and Government;
Heads of delegations;
I would like to thank the Republic of Azerbaijan, the current president of the Non-Aligned Movement, for the initiative to convene this Special Session of the General Assembly.
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Cuba and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, this December 2nd, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, and General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong held a fraternal telephone conversation.