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On his way to
an official friendship visit in
Brazil
,
President Tran Duc Luong stopped over in
Havana
,
Cuba
,
to call on President Fidel Castro, who is still recovering from a
recent leg injury he sustained during a meeting.
Mr
Luong was welcomed at the
Jose
Marti
Airport
by Raul Castro, Second Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party
Central Committee and First Vice President of the Council of State
and Council of Ministers, and Felipe Peres Roque, Foreign
Minister.
The
Vietnamese President expressed his happiness at Castro's speedy
convalescence, and conveyed the regards from Vietnamese Party
General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and
former Party General Secretaries Do Muoi and Le Kha Phieu.
The
Cuban President said he was deeply moved by the thoughtfulness of
the Vietnamese leaders and people. The two leaders also discussed
the socio-economic development in each country and their bilateral
cooperation.
The
Cuban President informed his Vietnamese visitors about major
measures
Cuba
is undertaking to overcome difficulties and increase their
national development. They also discussed regional and
international issues of mutual concern.
President
Lifting left
Havana
the same day to continue on his official friendship visit in
Brazil
,
a country that established diplomatic relations with
Vietnam
in May, 1989.
President
Lifting is expected to meet with his Brazilian counterpart Lula da
Silva, President of the Senate Jose Sarney and President of the
National Congress Joao Paulo Cunha.
Brazil
was the first South American country to open an embassy to
Vietnam
in September 1994.
Vietnam
opened its Consulate General office in
Sao
Paulo
in January 1998 and raised the diplomatic relations to the
ambassadorial level in August, 2000.
Two-way
trade value increased from $29.3mil in 2001 to more than US$47mil
in 2003.
In
the first nine months of this year, total trade turnover between
the two countries reached over $53.3mil, of which
Vietnam
exported $25.7mil and imported $27.6mil.
Vietnam
exports mainly coal, rice, garments, footwear, tires, bicycles,
motorbikes, wooden furniture, electronic appliances, fine arts and
handicraft items to
Brazil
,
while
Brazil
exports soyabean powder, sheet steel, leather products and
eucalyptus wood.
(Source:
Viet
Nam
News)
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