Laotian Attorney General visits Cuba

Images via Revolution Studios

By René Tamayo León, translated from the Spanish

Greetings from comrades were sent by the Secretary General of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Thongloun Sisoulith, to the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, who received the Attorney General of the sister country, Xaysana Khotphouthone, on Monday (March 31) afternoon.

The Cuban president emphasized that this visit "confirms and ratifies the strong and historic relations between the parties, governments, and peoples of both nations."

It stems from, he added, a 50-year history of ties, celebrated last year, cemented in the relations between the historical leaders of the two countries which have been continued by the new Laotian and Cuban generations.

He emphasized the political relations that exist between Havana and Vientiane, which, he explained, are evidenced by the systematic high-level exchanges in both directions.

He highlighted the visit to Cuba of Laotian leader Thongloun Sisoulith in September 2023 as "a great joy" and recalled his visits to the Asian nation in 2013 as First Vice President and then in 2023 as President.

"Of those visits," he noted, "I have fond memories; we learned firsthand all the history I'd heard about Laos and its people since I was a boy."

Between Cuba and Laos, he reiterated, there is a history of strong relations and solidarity; he also highlighted the consensus that exists in dialogues on global issues and the common position in international events.

The Caribbean leader recalled the island's support for the struggles of the Laotian people and thanked the sister Southeast Asian nation for its position in Cuba's fight against the blockade and its inclusion on the spurious list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism.

The President shared with the Attorney General of the Lao People's Democratic Republic the recent celebrations in Cuba for the 70th anniversary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and reviewed the theoretical events held between the two party organizations on their mutual experiences in building socialism.

Regarding the visit, Díaz-Canel expressed to his colleague Xaysana Khotphouthone that it confirms the desire to continue "strengthening, expanding, and strengthening" the historic bilateral relations, including in the legal field, where, he added, we have important ties.

He emphasized the importance of exchanges between the Laotian Attorney General's Office and the Cuban Attorney General's Office in combating global phenomena such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and other international crimes, on which, he emphasized, Cuba has very firm and consistent positions.

The head of the Attorney General's Office of the Lao People's Democratic Republic thanked Díaz-Canel for the meeting and reaffirmed the historic ties between the two nations, between the Communist Party of Cuba and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the governments of both nations, and their prosecutors' offices.

Also participating in the exchange on the Lao side were Vanhtha Sengmeuang, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Lao People's Democratic Republic to Cuba; Bounthan Bounthavilay, Deputy Attorney General of the Lao People's Democratic Republic; Phonethip Salavy, Director General of Organizations and Personnel; and Soutsaka Bounmanit, Director General of the Department of Planning and International Cooperation, among other officials.

Representing Cuba were Yamila Peña Ojeda, Attorney General; Alina Montesino Li, Deputy Attorney General; Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Patricia María Rizo Cabrera, Chief Prosecutor of the Directorate of Legal Cooperation and International Relations.

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