President Luong Cuong presided over the state-level welcoming ceremony for the King of the Kingdom of Belgium.

President Luong Cuong presided over the state welcoming ceremony for the King of Belgium.

Attending the welcoming ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc; Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Vu Hong Thanh; Head of the Office of the President Le Khanh Hai; Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien; Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung; Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy; Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh; Deputy Minister of National Defense Le Huy Vinh; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang; Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Ngoc Lam; Assistant to the President Nguyen Hoang Anh; Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium Nguyen Van Thao.

At the welcoming ceremony, many children of the capital were present at the Presidential Palace waving the flags of the two countries to welcome King Philippe and the Queen and the high-ranking delegation of the Kingdom of Belgium .

President Luong Cuong and King Philippe review the Guard of Honor of the Vietnam People's Army.

The motorcade escorting King Philippe and Queen entered the Presidential Palace. President Luong Cuong and his wife were present on the red carpet to warmly welcome King Philippe, who led the Belgian high-ranking delegation on a state visit to Vietnam. Representatives of the capital's children came forward to present a bouquet of fresh flowers to the King and Queen.

Amidst the welcoming music, President Luong Cuong invited King Philippe to step up to the podium. After the national anthems of both countries were played, President Luong Cuong and King Philippe stepped forward to salute the military flag and inspect the Vietnam People's Army Honor Guard. Next, the two leaders introduced the members of the high-ranking delegations of the two countries attending the welcoming ceremony.

The State visit to Vietnam by the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Belgium is a special visit, of great significance to the relationship between the two countries. This is the first State visit after more than 50 years of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, especially in the context of Vietnam entering a new era; it is an important historical milestone, bringing the relationship between the two countries into a new stage of development, with higher political trust, and more substantial and effective cooperation.

President and his wife at the welcoming ceremony.

The visit demonstrates the special affection of King Philippe and Queen for Vietnam; at the same time, it shows the special respect of the Kingdom of Belgium for Vietnam and Vietnam's role and position in the Asia-Pacific region; affirms the desire and determination of both sides to bring bilateral relations to new heights, further increase political trust, promote cooperation in many fields, especially economics-trade-investment - an important pillar in the relationship between the two countries.

Welcoming the King and Queen of Belgium to Vietnam is a vivid demonstration of Vietnam's consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization and diversification of foreign relations for peace, friendship, cooperation and development, proactive and active international integration, being a friend, a reliable partner and a responsible member of the international community; demonstrating Vietnam's respect for Belgium, an important partner of Vietnam in the European Union.

Vietnam and Belgium established diplomatic relations on March 22, 1973. Over the past 50 years, bilateral relations between the two countries have been continuously consolidated and developed in all fields, especially politics-diplomacy, trade, agriculture, education and training, science-technology cooperation, development cooperation... at the federal, regional and community levels.

Welcome ceremony scene.

In recent years, economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Belgium has developed rapidly and is increasingly strengthened. Economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries has been vibrant with many positive results. Belgium is Vietnam's 6th largest export market in Europe. Vietnam is Belgium's largest trading partner in ASEAN. Two-way trade turnover in 2024 will reach 4.45 billion USD. Other areas such as defense-security, science-technology, innovation, culture, education-training and cooperation between localities have many outstanding highlights.

With the existing good foundation of cooperation, together with the trust and political will of the leaders and the wishes of the people of the two countries, the State visit of the King and Queen of Belgium to Vietnam is expected to achieve many positive results, contributing to further promoting cooperation, bringing the relationship between the two countries to a new chapter of development, meeting the aspirations of the people, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

After the welcoming ceremony, President Luong Cuong and King Philippe had a private meeting and then led the high-ranking delegations of the two countries to hold a meeting, assessing the results of cooperation between the two countries in the past time and proposing directions for cooperation in the future. The two leaders will also witness the exchange of cooperation documents.

Nhandan.vn

Source: https://nhandan.vn/chu-tich-nuoc-luong-cuong-chu-tri-le-don-cap-nha-nuoc-nha-vua-vuong-quoc-bi-post869209.html