Vientiane, Sep 6 (Prensa Latina) Thousands of children and young people waving Cuban and Laotian flags greeted the arrival here today, for an official visit, of the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (PCC) and president of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel.
The Cuban president “was warmly and honorably received at the foot of the plane’s steps” by the head of the Presidential Office of this Indochinese nation, Khemmani Pholsena, according to Laotian media outlets.
Díaz-Canel’s visit, his first to the capital as the party’s top leader and head of state, is in response to an invitation from his counterpart, the secretary general of the People’s Revolutionary Party (PPRL) and Laotian president, Thongloun Sisoulith, with whom he will hold official talks tomorrow.
According to an official statement from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this trip by the Cuban president to Laos, as part of a tour that began in Vietnam and continued in China, confirms “the priority that Cuba places on fraternal and friendly relations with that sister, socialist country.”
Last July, the first deputy minister of that portfolio, Gerardo Peñalver, also traveled here on a working visit, where he co-chaired the Inter-Ministerial Political Consultations with his counterpart, Maythong Tammavongsa.
Both sides then emphasized the systematic nature of the political dialogue based on mutual trust, the broad common ground on approaches to the international agenda, and the ongoing willingness to exchange experiences on building socialism.
They also emphasized the valuable contribution of their foreign ministries to bilateral cooperation and the importance of political consultations, as well as the existing exchange mechanisms at the party and parliamentary levels.
On the occasion, Peñalver reiterated the gratitude of the Communist Party of Cuba, the Cuban government, and the Cuban people for Laos’ constant and unwavering support in the battle against the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States, and for denouncing Cuba’s unjust inclusion on the spurious list of state sponsors of terrorism.
This visit, the Foreign Ministry emphasized, reaffirmed the deep brotherhood and shared desire to continue strengthening the historic ties of friendship and cooperation between Cuba and Laos.
The fraternal ties between the two countries, which established diplomatic relations in early November 1974, date back to the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the first Cuban medical brigade arrived at the Viengsay caves in Houapanh province.
sea/mpm
