Vientiane, Laos.- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel concluded in Laos on Sunday the Asian segment of a tour that also took him to the Democratic People”s Republic of Korea (DPRK), China and Vietnam, after visits to France and Russia in Europe.
The Cuban statements confessed that he was impressed by the performance by the economy of Laos, where he is on an official visit that will conclude his tour of four Asian countries.
‘The deep Asian spirituality captivates in #Laos. Here we are very much loved since the times of combative solidarity. Its economic growth and the quality of public works inspire. Thanks for the example. #SomosCuba #SomosContinuidad’, the Cuban president wrote on Twitter.
During his official visit here, Diaz-Canel held official talks with his counterpart, Bounnhang Vorachith.
At the meeting, Vorachith, who is also the secretary general of the Popular Revolutionary Party of Laos, noted that for his compatriots, the name of Cuba means a friend in another sea and Diaz-Canel’s visit ‘is for our people an incentive to keep fighting, keep working and keep strengthening relations.’
Later, Diaz-Canel met with Prime Minister, Thongloun Sisoulith. The Cuban president noted that November 11 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Lao People’s Armed Forces, and this event ‘marked the beginning of our collaboration and solidarity with this brother people.’
In another twit, Diaz-Canel wrote, ‘We celebrate in #Laos the 50th anniversary of the Command of the National Liberation Forces. It was in the legendary caves of #Viengxay, where our doctors consolidated the unswerving friendship of our peoples. #SomosCuba #SomosContinuidad’.
The Cuban president also met with the speaker of the National Assembly, Pany Yathotou, who described his visit as very important.
Yathotou noted that his presence in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR), although brief, will give an appreciable boost to the ties of cooperation and friendship between the two governments and peoples.
In his meetings with local authorities, Diaz-Canel conveyed a cordial salutation from the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Raul Castro.
This is the first visit to Laos by a president of the Cuban Councils of State and of Ministers, and the second visit paid by Diaz-Canel, whose first visit was as Cuba’s vice president in June 2013.
Havana and Vientiane established diplomatic relations in 1974, but their ties go beyond that categorization. These relations are characterized by political trust, brotherhood and solidarity among their peoples, parties and governments.