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| Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son witnessed Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Religious Affairs Santiago Andres Cafiero sign the guestbook during his official visit to Vietnam on July 11, 2022, in Hanoi. |
The history of diplomatic relations between Argentina and Vietnam is a clear demonstration of the contribution that diplomacy and cooperation can make to common development.
It is also an example of how successful links between two countries can be created by constantly seeking complementarities, consensus and bridges. This common path lies at the heart of the Comprehensive Partnership that Argentina and Vietnam agreed to establish more than a decade ago and which continues to bear fruit today.
Beautiful and promising friendship
This October marks 50 years since the two countries embarked on the path of friendship as sovereign nations – a friendship that has grown ever more beautiful and promising.
In 1973, Argentina was one of the first countries in Latin America to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam and then opened an embassy in Hanoi in 1996.
For its part, Vietnam established a diplomatic mission earlier in 1995 in Buenos Aires.
Since then, there have been many high-level visits between the two countries, including at the head of state level, contributing to creating a solid foundation for dialogue based on common understanding of bilateral and global issues.
Highlighted was the official visit to Argentina by the Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Vuong Dinh Hue, who honored us by visiting the city of Buenos Aires and the province of Santa Fe with a large official delegation in April 2023.
During the visit, he met with President Alberto Fernández. During the visit, Argentina and Vietnam signed nine bilateral agreements on space cooperation, trade and investment, justice, criminal legal assistance, extradition and other areas.
I welcome the initiative to produce this publication to commemorate the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. It is a practical way to meet again, to look back on the path we have taken and to discuss our future together. |
I am very pleased to recall my official visit to Vietnam in July 2022 and the work we did on that occasion together with the Vietnamese authorities to strengthen bilateral relations. I was honored to be received by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, my counterpart - Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien.
On this occasion, we agreed on the importance of further deepening the relationship and expanding cooperation to new areas, so as to elevate the relationship to a Strategic Partnership in the near future in sustainable agriculture, food security and energy, which are areas of importance to ensuring the economic development and growth of the two countries.
Argentina affirms that Vietnam is one of its main trading partners in the world. In fact, according to 2022 statistics, Vietnam is Argentina's sixth largest trading partner. We strongly believe that the two countries still have great potential to continue expanding trade and investment in production.
To achieve this goal, both Governments must continue to make efforts to facilitate exchanges and accelerate negotiations on sanitary and phytosanitary measures for market access, seek to facilitate more business opportunities for all entities, and contribute to increasing bilateral investment and trade in goods and services.
In international relations, Argentina implements a pragmatic, independent and friendly foreign policy towards all countries in the world; protects national interests in all cases, strengthens relations with the world through frank and constructive dialogue, promotes multilateralism, peaceful settlement of disputes, respects international law and opposes the use of force to resolve disputes.
These are principles shared with Vietnam within the framework of the United Nations, the G-77 + China, the Forum for Latin America-Caribbean and East Asia Cooperation (FEALAC) and other important international forums.
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| Argentine President Cristina Fernandez Kirchner visits the Cu Chi Tunnels Relic Site (Ho Chi Minh City), January 19, 2013, during her official visit to Vietnam. |
A practical initiative
Another “cornerstone” of the bilateral relationship is South-South Cooperation: since 1998, Argentina has transferred knowledge and experience through the Argentine Fund for International Cooperation (FO.AR), implementing 15 projects with Vietnam in various fields such as agriculture, livestock, health and human rights. Currently, the technical cooperation portfolio has six projects under implementation.
These include areas such as “identifying war dead” through the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Foundation, developing advanced milk processing technology, improving rice plant resilience, cooperation in tropical fruit cultivation, improving soybean production and controlling foot-and-mouth disease.
Argentina wishes to expand cooperation to new topics such as science and technology, digital, audiovisual media, as well as to further strengthen exchanges between the diplomatic academies of the two countries, in order to enhance mutual understanding and further consolidate the future of bilateral relations.
Before concluding the article, it is important to emphasize that Argentina acknowledges and appreciates Vietnam’s traditional support for the resumption of negotiations between the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom to find a peaceful and comprehensive solution to the “Malvinas Problem”, which has been regularly demonstrated within the framework of the G-77 + China Group and in voting in favor of relevant resolutions adopted at this forum.
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| Talks on strengthening cooperation in the agricultural sector between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Argentina, November 27, 2014, in Hanoi. |
There is no doubt about the achievements made over 50 years of relations. The governments and peoples of our two countries need to continue to deepen exchanges in education, culture, trade, defense, science and technology, as well as coordination in international organizations on key agenda issues.
In that spirit, I welcome the initiative to produce this publication to commemorate the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. This is a practical way for both sides to meet again, look back on the path we have traveled and discuss our future together.
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