Vietnam and Cuba sign historic legal assistance project, strengthening lasting friendship

The visit to Cuba by the delegation led by Minister of Justice Nguyen Hai Ninh marked a new step forward in bilateral legal cooperation with the signing of Vietnam's first technical assistance project for Cuba in the institutional field.

First Secretary and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel received Minister of Justice Nguyen Hai Ninh.

On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1960-2025) and the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Year, the delegation led by Minister of Justice Nguyen Hai Ninh paid a meaningful visit to Cuba from August 11-13. Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Quang Long also attended the delegation's activities.

On August 11, at the Palace of the Revolution, First Secretary and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel hosted a solemn reception for Minister Nguyen Hai Ninh. Also attending the reception were Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martinez Diaz and representatives of several Cuban ministries and agencies.

At the reception, President Díaz-Canel affirmed that this is an opportunity for the two countries' Ministries of Justice to exchange experiences in the processes of building legal norms and applying laws in societies building socialism.

Particularly appreciating Vietnam’s initiative to provide legal technical assistance, President Diáz-Canel affirmed that he will provide comprehensive guidance to ensure the project achieves practical results. The Cuban side also shared efforts to reform the country and build socialism in a difficult context, including the implementation of 29 financial autonomy mechanisms for export enterprises, the expansion of electronic payments in the private sector, and the determination to implement the 2019 Constitution despite many challenges.

Thanking the Cuban President for his thoughtful welcome, Minister Nguyen Hai Ninh highly appreciated the completion of the visit's objectives focusing on enhancing legal cooperation and exchanging professional experiences.

Cuban Minister of Justice Oscar Manuel Silveira Martinez and Minister of Justice Nguyen Hai Ninh.

Earlier, in the morning of the same day, at the headquarters of the Cuban Ministry of Justice, Minister Oscar Manuel Silveira Martinez chaired talks with Minister Nguyen Hai Ninh.

Minister Silveira emphasized: "It is an honor, a joy and also a responsibility to welcome our Vietnamese brothers - friends whom we always consult in many of the Ministry's current tasks."

Minister Silveira provided details on important legal changes in Cuba, including the digital transformation of legal services and the implementation of new regulations to improve the efficiency of the Ministry's operations. According to the Cuban Minister of Justice, lessons from Vietnam's renovation are invaluable assets for Cuba in the period of updating its development model and building socialism.

On this occasion, he invited his Vietnamese counterpart to attend the international event Juriscuba - the leading prestigious forum for legal exchange in Cuba, scheduled to be held in February 2026.

Overview of the meeting.

The Cuban Minister of Justice said that lessons from Vietnam's renovation process are invaluable assets for Cuba in the period of updating its development model and building socialism.

Minister of Justice Nguyen Hai Ninh expressed his determination to accompany Cuba in facing new challenges and profound changes in the global legal field.

For his part, Minister Nguyen Hai Ninh affirmed: Vietnam will never forget Cuba's acts of solidarity during the most difficult moments of the resistance war to protect the Fatherland, and the friendship that Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro showed when visiting the liberated zone.

The Minister shared Vietnam's breakthrough experiences, especially the spirit of "development creation" from Resolution 66-NQ/TW. The Minister also informed about Vietnam's recent outstanding administrative reform achievements: the completion of the arrangement of two-level local governments nationwide from July 1, 2025, along with a record of 38 laws/resolutions passed by the National Assembly in just the session last May.

Expressing his determination to stand side by side with Cuba in facing new challenges and profound changes in the global legal field, Minister Nguyen Hai Ninh also honored Cuba as an example of revolutionary heroism, internationalism and principles that are the guiding light in the construction of socialism.

"We are ready to accompany Cuba in seeking creative cooperation mechanisms, bringing bilateral relations to match exemplary political friendship," Minister Nguyen Hai Ninh affirmed.

The two Ministries of Justice signed a cooperation agreement to implement the "Technical assistance project to enhance capacity for law-making and law enforcement in Cuba".

Immediately after the talks, the two sides officially signed a cooperation agreement to implement the "Technical assistance project to enhance capacity for building and enforcing laws for Cuba" - Vietnam's first institutional technical aid project for a foreign country and one of the few projects that received absolute consensus from the Vietnamese Government.

The project includes the transfer of legal reform experience, support for the digital transformation of the judicial sector, and the provision of 200 modern computers to the Cuban Ministry of Justice. Both Ministers agreed that the agreement will significantly enhance the capacity of the Cuban Ministry of Justice to perform its functions and improve the quality of service to the people. The signing is also of special significance as it was held on the occasion of the 99th anniversary of the birth of President Fidel Castro (August 13) and towards the 100th anniversary of the birth of this historic leader in 2026.

The bilateral talks ended with a symbolic handover ceremony of 20 computers - a gift from the delegation, and an invitation for Minister Silveira to visit Vietnam in the near future.

The bilateral legal assistance relationship has been firmly established since the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in 2013, with 6 continuous cooperation programs and 8 high-level exchange delegations. Since then, the two sides have signed many agreements to promote specialized training, exchange experiences in registration and notarization, computerization of services, research on legislative techniques and sharing of professional documents. In particular, the cooperation relationship was further strengthened after the visit to Cuba by General Secretary and President To Lam in September 2024, affirming the determination to bring bilateral cooperation to overcome all challenges.

The event marked a new step forward in bilateral legal cooperation with the signing of Vietnam's first technical assistance project for Cuba in the institutional field.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/viet-nam-va-cuba-ky-ket-du-an-ho-tro-phap-ly-lich-su-cung-co-tinh-huu-nghi-ben-chat-324133.html