HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 28 (ACN) After having sent to Vietnam five million doses of Abdala vaccine, which now are being applied with very good results in the population and in view of the current outbreak of COVID-19, Cuba ratified its willingness to offer another similar amount for its application in pediatric ages once the Vietnamese regulatory entity issues the authorization for emergency use.
The announcement was made on Monday by Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz, Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment (Mincex), while speaking at the XXXIX session of the Cuban-Vietnamese Intergovernmental Commission for economic and scientific-technical collaboration, of which he is also co-chairman together with Nguyen Thanh Nghi, head of the Construction of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Given the complex epidemiological situation in the Asian nation, from their respective capitals and 12 hours apart, representatives of agencies and the business sector met virtually the assessments and proposals of the parties, in order to continue developing bilateral economic ties in 2022, despite the challenges imposed by the pandemic.
Malmierca also expressed the willingness to conclude the negotiation of the technology transfer contract for the formulation, filling and packaging stages of Abdala, to supply our vaccines to the non-state sector, which will contribute to control the outbreak, and to collaborate with the dispatch of Cuban health professionals.
He highlighted that next year the 40th session of the Intergovernmental Commission will be held, a mechanism that has proven its effectiveness and contribution to consolidate, expand and diversify bilateral relations in the economic, commercial and scientific-technical spheres.
In turn, he reiterated the gratitude of the people and government of the Caribbean Island for the more than 15 thousand tons of rice donated by Vietnam, an important part of which is already in the country.
Like Malmierca, Thanh Nghi recalled the importance of the visit last September of Nguyen Xuan Phuc, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Republic, to Havana, where both nations agreed to share experiences in areas such as food security, cybersecurity and communication, all of which was reflected in the protocol signed by the two ministers on Monday.
The Vietnamese official agreed with his peer how adverse 2021 was for the economy and the population of either nation, due to the impact of the pandemic, which limited trade and delegations, the realization of face-to-face events and some investment projects, for the benefit of the business system, had delays in their execution.
Therefore, he urged to work in 2022 to promote or develop new businesses in sectors such as agri-food, renewable energy, biopharmaceuticals and tourism, as requested by Cuba, and reiterated the willingness of his government to maintain a stable supply of rice and also cooperate in the production of corn, poultry and other branches, including the cultural sector.
The meeting was held virtually from the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce, where both officials signed -at a distance- the protocol of this XXXIX session, in the presence of their respective ambassadors.
Many of the efforts and achievements between the two countries are inserted in the Bilateral Economic Agenda, signed in December 2020 for the period 2020-2025, with the aim of expanding economic, trade and cooperation ties, amid the historical ties and friendship that unite their parties and peoples.
Last August, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said he would make every effort to supply as many doses of Abdala vaccine as possible to Vietnam during the remainder of 2021, and to send experts to transfer the technology of its production to the Indochinese country.
That nation has positioned itself in recent years as the second largest trading partner of the Caribbean island in the Asian region.