Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang stressed that during the interview granted to the press reviewing the outcomes of the Prime Minister’s visit.
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Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang |
According to the deputy foreign minister, the first outcome was that Vietnam elevated the relationship and strengthened political trust with these countries. In particular, Vietnam and Poland issued a joint statement aiming to upgrade the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership. Similarly, a joint statement was issued with the Czech Republic to elevate the bilateral relationship to the strategic partnership, and the Vietnam-Switzerland relationship was upgraded to a comprehensive partnership. These breakthroughs have deepened the ties between Vietnam and the three countries. All parties agreed to boost exchange of delegations at all levels, particularly high-level contacts and people-to-people exchanges, to foster mutual understanding and lay the foundation for expanding cooperation in other fields. The leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland highly appreciated Vietnam's growing international stature. The Czech Republic and Poland consider Vietnam one of their most important partners in Asia and have expressed admiration for the country and its people.
Secondly, the visit created new momentum for cooperation in traditional fields such as trade, investment, education and training, defense, security, culture, tourism, and labor. The parties expanded cooperation in emerging areas with great potential and mutual demand, such as digital transformation, green transition, information technology and communications, cybersecurity, pharmaceuticals, the automotive industry, unmanned aerial vehicles, and transportation links between aviation and railways.
One of the highlights of the visit was the agreement to strive for a higher trade turnover. Vietnam, Poland, and the Czech Republic agreed to further open their markets for agricultural, seafood, and food products within the framework of the Vietnam-E.U. Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and to expedite the adoption of the E.U.-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). Vietnam and the three countries signed eight cooperation agreements on diplomacy, labor, aviation, education, sports, and culture. Additionally, to boost tourism and people-to-people exchanges, Vietnam has decided to waive visas for citizens of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland.
In addition to that, the visit reinforced Vietnam's stance on enhancing cooperation at regional and international forums. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the leaders of the three countries had extensive discussions on regional and international issues. They agreed to strengthen cooperation, support each other at multilateral organizations and forums, contributing to peace, stability, security, and sustainable development in the region and the world. They also agreed on the need to resolve disagreements by peaceful means on the basis of respecting international law and the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.
Furthermore, the visit underscored the attention and care of the Party, State, and Government toward the overseas Vietnamese community. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the delegation were proud of the development, unity, and patriotism of the Vietnamese community abroad. During talks, meetings and dialogues, the Prime Minister requested the senior leaders of the three countries to facilitate better integration for the Vietnamese community, preservation and promotion of their cultural identity and the Vietnamese language. The leaders of the countries acknowledged the contribution of the Vietnamese community to the local socio-economic development and affirmed their commitment to continuously supporting to the local Vietnamese community.
Hang stressed that the official visit to Poland, the Czech Republic, and the bilateral activities in Switzerland by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh were successful in every aspect, helping to elevate Vietnam's position, create new momentums for the development of strategic and comprehensive partnerships with the three countries, and strengthen relations with the broader Central and Eastern European region.
One of the important activities of the Vietnamese delegation was their activities and attendance at the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. According to Ms. Hang, during more than 30 hours in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a packed schedule with numerous multilateral and bilateral activities. The visit was successful in many aspects, achieving the highest set goals.
Firstly, leveraging the advantage of the forum as a gathering point for globally influential corporations, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and leaders from various ministries and localities participated in and addressed five key dialogues on topics closely related to Vietnam's development directions, from high technology, artificial intelligence (AI), pharmaceuticals, smart infrastructure, green energy to financial hubs. The business community highly praised Vietnam's achievements in socio-economic management and expressed their readiness to support and expand cooperation in Vietnam's priority areas, eager to partner with Vietnam in pursuing its strategic development goals.
Secondly, the Prime Minister’s speeches and exchanges left a profound impression about the aspirations, vision, and determination of Vietnam, with the "three readinesses" to embrace the smart age. These include readiness in legal frameworks by establishing favorable regulations for science, technology, startups, and innovation; readiness in resources, especially highly skilled human resources for fostering innovation and digital transformation; and readiness in infrastructure, particularly key infrastructures such as transportation, energy transmission, clean water, communication, and national databases.
The trip reaffirmed Vietnam’s international stature. During this forum, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh participated in and spoke at four sessions, three of which were specifically designed by the WEF for Vietnam. At a special dialogue titled "Leap into the Future: Vietnam's Vision for Innovation and Global Role," the Prime Minister shared Vietnam’s aspirations, lessons, and strategic development directions, as well as suggestions to foster international cooperation in the smart age. This event was one of the few reserved for leaders with significant influence, with the participation of over 50 presidents and prime ministers. Vietnam also held a special national strategic dialogue and a multilateral session with international partners to prepare for the 16th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to be hosted by Vietnam in 2025, which received high praise from attendees.
Lastly, Vietnam maximized this visit to further deepen relations with other countries and international organizations. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the delegation held dozens of meetings with leaders of partner countries, promoting trade and investment cooperation and strengthening ties with international organizations in such areas as trade, health, intellectual property, agriculture, and renewable energy.
Hang added that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's participation in activities in Davos sent important messages to the international community. Outstanding is the message of sincerity, international cooperation, and role of multilateralism in promoting sustainable, inclusive development and adapting to the smart era; the message about humanity, asserting that the smart era must be an era of development for people; and the message about the responsibility of nations and businesses in the global ecosystem.
These messages will continue to be transmitted in numerous foreign relations activities throughout 2025, including Vietnam's hosting of the fourth Green Growth and Global Goals Summit (P4G) and the 16th UNCTAD Ministerial Conference. This will highlight Vietnam as a trustworthy, dynamic, creative, responsible, and potential-filled partner, a nation ready to step into both its national era of rise and the global smart era.
Translated by Tran Hoai