Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of National Defence held a meeting in Hanoi on November 30 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Cuba.

Addressing the event, Senior Lieutenant General Tran Don, Deputy Defence Minister, reviewed the 60-year journey of the brotherly solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries' Parties, States, armies and people. During the resistance war against the US, Cuba stood shoulder to shoulder with the Vietnamese people as a sincere friend and a trusted comrade. Today, the two countries always come together in their cause of national building, development and defence.

Don said that along with State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy, defence relations between the two countries have become increasingly intensive, practical and effective. This is one of the main areas of cooperation in the bilateral relationship, reflected through the two armies' signing of many important cooperation agreements, maintenance of regular high-level delegation exchanges, dialogue mechanisms, and implementation of many aspects of cooperation that the two sides need and have strength in, contributing to consolidating each side's military potential and national defence capacity. 

Through defence cooperation, the two sides continued to affirm the commitments of the two countries' senior leaders to enhancing prestige and mutual trust, and facilitating the expansion of cooperation to other potential fields.

Thanking Cuba for supporting Vietnam in COVID-19 prevention and control, the Deputy Defence Minister said that such support has showed the two sides' consistent comradeship, sharing and solidarity. He affirmed the determination of the two countries' Defence Ministries not to let the pandemic affect bilateral defence cooperation.

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, Vietnam and Cuba have jointly carried out key activities such as publishing a set of documents on 60 years of Vietnam-Cuba defence relations; promoting exchanges between veterans and officials who contributed to the bilateral defense relationship; and signing new cooperation agreements. These activities contribute to promoting the bilateral defence ties as well as educating the Vietnamese and Cuban young generations about the special traditional friendship between the two countries and their armies.

For his part, Senior Colonel Juan Miguel Garcia Montano, Cuban military attaché to Vietnam, expressed his delight at the development of the solidarity and cooperation between the two countries during the past 60 years, affirming that the Vietnam-Cuba relationship has been tested through wars and overcome many ups and downs of history. He emphasised that promoting this relationship is a prerequisite obligation in the foreign policies of the two countries.

On this occasion, Miguel thanked the Vietnamese people for their sincere sentiments toward Cuba, especially in the most difficult times. He affirmed that Cuba will continue to make more contributions to promoting the fine friendship and cooperation between the two countries, including defence cooperation./.