Nguyen Duc Loi, Director General of Vietnam News Agency (VNA) speaks at the 24th Sao Paulo Forum in Havana, Cuba (Photo: Le Ha/VNA)

Addressing the special plenary session of the forum on Tuesday, Mr. Loi called Fidel a great leader of the international communist and worker movements. He said the humanitarian internationalism initiated and led by Fidel materially and spiritually supported many revolutions and movements for national liberation worldwide, including Vietnam’s resistance war against the US. The official recalled Cuba’s past support for Vietnam even when Cuba was struggling because of the embargo imposed by the US. He quoted Fidel Castro’s saying that “For Vietnam, Cuba is willing to shed its blood.”

On this occasion, Mr. Loi congratulated leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on his triumph in Mexico’s recent presidential election, and expressed his support for the revolutionary cause and social progress in a number of Latin American countries.