Cuba and Laos: Peoples United by Historic Bonds of Friendship

VIENTIANE – "Last week we met in Hanoi and Beijing, and now we are here, in Vientiane, on your state visit to our country, which I firmly believe marks another historic milestone in strengthening our friendly relations."

With these warm words, Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, received Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic of Cuba, on Sunday morning (local time). This visit marks Díaz-Canel's third trip to Laos, according to the Cuban Presidency.

In his welcoming remarks, Sisoulith asked that "a warm greeting be conveyed to comrade Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution, our esteemed friend." He also extended congratulations to Comrade Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister, and Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the National Assembly of People's Power, both members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba.

The Laotian leader expressed his delight "with the traditional cooperation and fraternal solidarity between our two parties, states, and peoples." He valued the current stay of the Caribbean head of state as another opportunity to continue "consolidating and producing greater results" in their comprehensive ties.

Following the official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Vientiane, the leaders held extensive talks on bilateral relations, which last year celebrated their half-century anniversary.

Díaz-Canel conveyed "a warm greeting from Army General Raúl Castro Ruz" to the Laotian President and thanked him for the heartfelt affection shown to the Cuban delegation since its arrival on Saturday evening in Vientiane, where hundreds of children, adolescents, and young people awaited them in the streets.

"I fondly remember the visit we made in 2018 and the fraternal meetings you and I have had in Moscow last May during the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, and in recent days in both Vietnam and Beijing," stated the Cuban leader.

He noted that at each of these moments, "I realize that our friendship is sincere, honest, and very strong, as are the relations between our nations and peoples, because whenever we meet, smiles and affection immediately arise from both sides."

"Our current visit to Laos is, of course, related to the high importance we place on the development of bilateral ties and political dialogue with the Lao People's Democratic Republic, a country with which we share close, indestructible, and historic bonds of friendship and collaboration," he added.

The dialogue, which lasted approximately an hour, was attended by the Cuban delegation including Political Bureau member and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla; Central Committee member and head of its International Relations Department, Emilio Lozada García; the Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga; and the Cuban Ambassador to Laos, Enna Viant, among others.

The Laotian side was represented by Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Bounleua Phandanouvong, head of the Foreign Relations Commission of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party; and senior officials from the ministries of Education, Agriculture, Environment, and Industry and Commerce, among other leaders.

Earlier on Sunday, the Cuban President began his working agenda in Laos by laying a floral wreath in the name of the Cuban people at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, which honors the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the Laotian homeland and independence.

ALWAYS AMONG FRIENDS

On Sunday morning, the Cuban president also met with Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, who highlighted the significance of Díaz-Canel's visit to the country.

He stated it was "a new opportunity to continue developing bilateral relations and further strengthen the brotherhood between our two parties, governments, and peoples, a testimony to which is the successful exchange held today with our General Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President, comrade Thongloun Sisoulith."

Siphandone recalled the fruitful visit to Laos by Comrade Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister, to whom he sent warm greetings, as well as to the President of the National Assembly, Esteban Lazo Hernández, who visited Vientiane last year to participate with the Laotian people and their authorities in the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The Cuban leader recalled the date as a symbol of the ties between two peoples, whose friendship and collaboration dates back to the 1960s and 70s, when Cuban doctors were welcomed in the caves of Viengsay to provide care to the Laotian people during their liberation struggle.

"It is a friendship," he added, "forged in the deep bonds created by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz and the national hero of Laos, President Kaysone Phomvihane. It is within this relationship of friendship and brotherhood that our generation grew up; we are its heirs and remain committed to it."

The Head of State conveyed a warm greeting to Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone from his counterpart, Manuel Marrero Cruz, and extended an invitation for him to visit Cuba when his schedule permits.

RESPECT, FRIENDSHIP, AND SOLIDARITY

In the afternoon, the Cuban President also met with Dr. Chaleun Ylapaoher, Vice President of the National Assembly and President of the Laos-Cuba Friendship Association, who described the Head of State's stay as "a fundamental contribution to strengthening the traditional relationship between the two parties, the two states, and the peoples of Cuba and Laos, which grows day by day and becomes deeper."

"It is a friendship," he said, "historically consolidated by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, and now by you, as the main leaders of the Communist Party of Cuba."

"For our part," commented Ylapaoher, "we are always attentive to events in Cuba, to your difficulties, provoked by the blockade you have been facing for over 60 years. Despite this, you have resisted, and we will continue to support the people of Cuba and stand by Cuba in its just struggles."

During the conversation, the parliamentary leader detailed the activities carried out by the Laos-Cuba Friendship Association over the past year and asked "what more" they could do in defense and support of the Island.

After thanking "the demonstrations of warmth, friendship, brotherhood, and solidarity" received from the Laotian people since his arrival, the Cuban President emphasized the unique nature of the bilateral ties, stating that despite the geographical distance, "between our two peoples and nations we have a historical relationship based on respect, friendship, solidarity, brotherhood, and mutual admiration."

In the final hours of his stay in Vientiane, the President and the official Cuban delegation paid tribute to the Laotian National Hero, Kaysone Phomvihane, who played a fundamental role in the revolutionary movement of Laos, the founding of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and—together with Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz—in building the solid, unbreakable friendship and solidarity between the two countries.

While visiting the Kaysone Phomvihane Museum, dedicated to the life and work of the communist leader, it was recalled that next year marks the 50th anniversary of his visit to Cuba, which cemented the closeness and friendship between him and Fidel—a date that will be celebrated by both countries.