Havana, Sep 20 (RHC) On Monday Army General Raul Castro received in Havana the member of the Political Bureau and president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, on the occasion of his official visit to Cuba, local press reported.

The president conveyed the greetings of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong; while Raul Castro sent him a big hug and an invitation to visit the island.

According to national television news, Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that both his visit, the delegation accompanying him and the agreements signed express the special character of bilateral relations and the unity between the two countries.

Both parties agreed that it was a successful visit, carried out in a context of the Covid-19 pandemic and in the midst of the difficulties generated by the tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on the Caribbean nation.

In addition, the President stressed that there is potential to further expand cooperation in all spheres and expressed his confidence that the new generations of leaders will strengthen these ties.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and his Asian counterpart presided over the signing of several collaboration agreements in areas ranging from the economy, food industry, health, communications, among others.

The Caribbean head of state also imposed the José Martí Order on the Vietnamese leader, the highest decoration awarded by the Antillean nation.

On Monday, Nguyen Xuan Phuc also met with representatives of Cuba's Mariel Special Development Zone and experts in the country's biotechnological area.(Source: Prensa Latina).