Havana, Cuba.-ietnamese President, Tran Dai Quang, is concluding an official visit to Cuba today with the opening of a business forum for cooperation between the two nations.

The president will attend a meeting at the Hotel National in Havana and later will travel with his accompanying delegation to the Mariel Special Development Zone, in the province of Artemisa.

The Vietnamese statesman was officially received yesterday at the Palace of the Revolution by his Cuban peer, Raul Castro, who seconded Vietnam’s interest in deepening the historic ties of friendship and solidarity with the Caribbean nation.

Both presidents agreed on the need to strengthen the economic and commercial ties and formalized an agreement on plant sanitation and two memorandums, one on cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade, as well as another on the telecommunications sector.

After the talks, the Cuban head of State decorated Tran Dai Quang with the Jose Marti Order, the highest distinction bestowed by the State Council.

For his part, the visiting president thanked the Cuban government and people for the recognition of his work.

During the second day of his stay in the capital, the Vietnamese head of State laid a floral tribute to national heroes Jose Marti (Cuba), and Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam).

After his three-day visit, the Vietnamese president will travel to Lima, Peru, to attend the Summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.