Laos welcomes Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez

Image via the PCC

By Leticia Martínez & René Tamayo, translated from the Spanish

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, landed in the Laotian capital on Saturday evening (local time). He was welcomed by authorities and students of the country at the airport, on behalf of a nation that holds deep affection for Cuba.

During his third visit to the socialist countries of East Asia, the Head of State will engage in a busy work schedule, continuing discussions with comrade Thongloun Sisoulith, Secretary General of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, as well as other officials.

Cuba attaches a high priority to bilateral relations, valuing them highly. The two nations share historical bonds of friendship and cooperation across various fields. These range from exchanges between the parties and parliaments, interactions between foreign ministries, judicial bodies, mass organizations, and solidarity institutions, to collaborative agreements in sectors like education, health, sports, biotechnology, and agriculture.

The two countries established formal diplomatic relations on November 4, 1974, although their close bonds were formed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Cuban doctors were sent to the caves of Vientiane to assist the Laotian people during the war.

The strong friendship between the two nations is rooted in the historical ties between Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz and President Kaysone Phomvihane, who traveled to the island in September 1976 and was honored with the José Martí Order for his revolutionary achievements and contributions to socialism.

Díaz-Canel visited this city following a busy work agenda in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the People's Republic of China. During his visit, he took part in commemorations of significant historical dates for both countries. In Hanoi and Beijing, he attended celebrations marking the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and met with key leaders from both nations.

In 2018, the Cuban President completed an official visit to Laos. During this visit, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation.

Cuba highly values the unwavering support of Laos in the fight against the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States and for the removal of the island from the spurious list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism.

In the last half century, the main leaders of the Party, the State and the Government of Laos have visited Cuba, including the stay, in September 2023, of comrade Thongloun Sisoulith.

From Cuba to Laos, there has also been an important exchange of delegations, including the visit of Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, in 1997; and that of Díaz-Canel in 2018.

In recent years, the vitality of bilateral relations has also been upheld by visits from the Vice President of the Republic, Salvador Valdés Mesa; the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz; and the President of the National Assembly, Esteban Lazo Hernández. These leaders headed the Cuban delegation that led the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations last year.

This work was translated and shared via a License CC-BY-NC