Important steps in relations between Vietnam and its partners

In the capital city of Ulan Bator, General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation received a warm, respectful and thoughtful welcome. Within the framework of the State visit to Mongolia, General Secretary and President To Lam held talks with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh; met with Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene and Chairman of the Mongolian Parliament Dashzegve Amarbayasgalan.

In an atmosphere of trust, sincerity and openness, the leaders of the two countries expressed their joy and satisfaction at the strong development of the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Mongolia.

General Secretary and President To Lam and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh issued the Vietnam-Mongolia Joint Statement on the establishment of a Comprehensive Partnership , aiming to guide the two countries to deepen trust and cooperation in all fields, opening a new period of more substantive, effective and comprehensive development cooperation for the prosperous and happy life of the people of the two countries.

General Secretary and President To Lam and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh take a photo together. (Photo: VNA)

Mongolia affirmed that it always considers Vietnam an important partner in Southeast Asia, wishing to develop and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields.

Vietnam affirms its importance in developing relations with Mongolia, respects Mongolia's peace-loving, open, self-reliant and multi-pillar foreign policy, the "third neighbor" policy and wishes to further promote bilateral relations in the coming time.

The two countries' senior leaders agreed to increase exchanges, contacts, and delegations at high and all levels in diverse and flexible forms, while at the same time expanding close relations between the two peoples.

In order to strengthen cooperation between legislative bodies, including developing cooperation between specialized committees, groups of parliamentarians, young parliamentarians and female parliamentarians in line with the new framework of relations, Vietnam and Mongolia will jointly promote the signing of a new Cooperation Agreement between the two parliaments to replace the Agreement signed in 2018. At the same time, effectively maintain the mechanism of rotating political consultations at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers.

Appreciating the new developments in defense and security cooperation in recent times, the two countries' senior leaders emphasized the importance of continuing to expand cooperation between the armed forces and law enforcement agencies. In particular, effectively implementing signed cooperation agreements, accelerating negotiation procedures towards signing agreements in the fields of security and crime prevention; enhancing cooperation in exchanging relevant crime information; coordinating assessments and forecasts on issues related to the interests and national security of the two countries.

General Secretary and President To Lam meets with Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene. (Photo: VNA)

General Secretary and President To Lam meets with Chairman of the Mongolian National Assembly Dashzegviin Amarbayasgalan. (Photo: VNA)

The two sides' senior leaders agreed to promote economic cooperation, including maintaining the mechanism of the Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. At the same time, the role of the Business Councils of the two sides will be enhanced through supporting the implementation of trade promotion activities and promoting business cooperation connections. In the coming time, the two countries will promote research on appropriate solutions to improve the investment environment and consider signing a new Agreement on Investment Promotion and Protection.

The two countries will strengthen cooperation in research and development of high-tech science, digital technology, innovation, artificial intelligence technology, information and communication technology, climate change response, mineral exploitation, animal husbandry, etc. In particular, they will work together to find solutions to remove difficulties and challenges in logistics transportation; exchange experiences, and effectively implement signed cooperation agreements in the fields of road, rail, sea transport and aviation.

Vietnam and Mongolia share the desire to promote the establishment of mechanisms for the exchange of experts, lecturers, students, and student exchanges between the two countries. At the same time, they will strengthen the exchange of experiences on educational mechanisms and policies, and the application of digital technology in education.

7 cooperation documents signed between ministries, branches and localities of the two countries:

Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Legal Field between the Ministry of Justice of Vietnam and the Ministry of Justice and Interior of Mongolia.
Cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and the Ministry of Justice and Interior of Mongolia on cyber security and crime prevention.
Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam and the Ministry of Transport of Mongolia.
Memorandum of Understanding on tourism cooperation between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth of Mongolia.
Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening friendly and cooperative relations between Hanoi City and Ulan Bator City Government.
Memorandum of Cooperation between the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
Memorandum of Cooperation between Vietnam National University, Hanoi and Mongolian University of Science and Technology.

In order to promote local cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, the two countries will increase the implementation of exchange programs and promote each country's culture and history, promote the exchange of cultural and artistic delegations, etc., and promote the tourism potential and strengths of both sides.

The two sides agreed to continue close cooperation, regular exchanges on regional security and political issues, and mutual support in regional and international frameworks and forums of which both sides are members such as the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

On this occasion, General Secretary and President To Lam, on behalf of the Government and people of Vietnam, thanked the Government and people of Mongolia for supporting the people of the North to overcome the damage caused by Typhoon Yagi. The Mongolian President also expressed his gratitude to the State and people of Vietnam for providing 500,000 USD to overcome the consequences of natural disasters in recent times.

The biggest highlight of the State visit to Ireland by General Secretary and President To Lam was the two sides issuing a Joint Statement on strengthening the partnership between Vietnam and Ireland.

The joint statement stated: “The two leaders affirmed that this State visit is an important milestone after nearly 30 years of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two sides affirmed the importance of further strengthening the Vietnam-Ireland relationship; agreed to cooperate for the prosperity and comprehensive development of both countries, for peace, cooperation and development globally, in accordance with the fundamental principles of international law and the United Nations Charter.”

Affirming the importance of the Sectoral Strategic Partnership on Higher Education Cooperation between Vietnam and Ireland, the Joint Statement stressed: The two leaders welcomed the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in the field of Higher Education Cooperation and affirmed the importance of building a Comprehensive Partnership framework at an appropriate time. In that spirit, the two leaders welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Vietnam National University, Hanoi and the University of Dublin and University College Cork during the visit of General Secretary and President To Lam. Vietnam thanked Ireland for providing 325 postgraduate scholarships to Vietnamese students since 2007.

General Secretary and President To Lam meets privately with Irish President Michael Higgins. (Photo: VNA)

During his State visit to Ireland, General Secretary and President To Lam held talks with Irish President Michael Higgins, met with Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, met with Irish Senate President Jerry Buttimer and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Catherine Connolly...

At the meetings, the leaders of the two sides agreed to promote the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially at the high level, and actively implement existing cooperation mechanisms. On this occasion, General Secretary and President To Lam happily announced that the Vietnamese Government has decided and is implementing procedures to establish a Vietnamese Embassy in Ireland. The leaders of the two countries expressed their belief that this decision will open a new stage of development in bilateral relations, for the common interests of the people of the two countries.

Appreciating Vietnam's foreign policy and affirming the importance of Vietnam's position and role in the Asia-Pacific region, Irish leaders emphasized that the two countries have many similarities in the struggle for national independence and there is no field or topic in which the two sides cannot exchange and cooperate.

The policy speech “Vision for a new era in Vietnam-Ireland friendship and cooperation, for peace, cooperation and development” at Trinity College Dublin by General Secretary and President To Lam stated: Patriotism, the ideal of freedom, national independence, the aspiration for peace and common cultural values will be the “glue” that binds our two peoples today and tomorrow, and is the foundation for Vietnam-Ireland relations to develop more strongly in the future.

General Secretary and President To Lam delivers a policy speech at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. (Photo: VNA)

To make the most of strategic opportunities, turn challenges into opportunities and build a prosperous future for both countries, the General Secretary and President emphasized the following directions: First, proactively create new development space for the benefit and prosperity of the people of the two countries; Second, create breakthroughs in enhancing autonomy, self-reliance, self-reliance and adaptability to new global challenges; Third, enhance and proactively expand the contributions of Vietnam and Ireland to international peace, cooperation and development issues.

Within the framework of the program to attend the 19th Francophone Summit with the theme "Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in French", General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation attended and spoke at the Francophone Business Forum on Innovation and Creativity (FrancoTech).

At the Forum, General Secretary and President To Lam welcomed the initiative to organize a forum on innovation and creativity, in line with the spirit of the theme of the 19th Francophone Summit. Especially in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, investing in innovation and creativity is a policy and strategic choice not only for the country but also for the Francophone business community.

The General Secretary and President stated that with a population of over 1.2 billion people, accounting for 16% of GDP and 20% of global trade, the Francophone space is a land full of potential and opportunities for economic cooperation, investment and trade exchange. The General Secretary and President shared: In recent years, Vietnam has had many policies to promote innovation, spread the spirit of entrepreneurship, and create the most favorable conditions for businesses to operate and develop. The growth of businesses and the application of science and technology in business activities have significantly contributed to Vietnam's development achievements in recent years.

General Secretary and President To Lam attends the Plenary Session on the topic “Creativity, Innovation and Startups”. (Photo: VNA)

Calling on businesses and investors in the Francophone community to continue to pay attention to and invest in Vietnam, the General Secretary and President said: Vietnam is creating an increasingly favorable investment and business environment, with many attractive incentive policies and a very favorable position to help Francophone businesses continue to grow and develop into large corporations and enterprises of international stature.

Meeting with Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) Louise Mushikiwabo, General Secretary and President To Lam highly appreciated the good cooperative relationship between Vietnam and OIF, as well as the contributions of OIF and Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo personally in promoting Francophone solidarity and cooperation for peace, stability and development. The General Secretary and President suggested that OIF pay attention to promoting tripartite cooperation models to support African countries in the fields of agriculture and South-South cooperation, while continuing to step up the implementation of cooperation programs and projects in the fields of education, French language teaching, scientific research and French-language startups.

OIF Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo welcomed Vietnam's participation in the Francophone Summit at the highest level, affirming that this is an honor for OIF. The Secretary General emphasized that Vietnam is an indispensable factor in the Francophone community, highly appreciating the role and positive contributions of Vietnam, including Vietnamese people holding important positions in Francophone agencies.

General Secretary and President To Lam met bilaterally with Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie Louise Mushikiwabo. (Photo: VNA)

In a friendly conversation with experts and outstanding overseas intellectuals in countries in the Francophone community, General Secretary and President To Lam welcomed and highly appreciated the enthusiastic and responsible opinions of overseas intellectuals; emphasizing that the contributions of overseas Vietnamese intellectuals to the host country and the homeland of Vietnam are very valuable resources. The General Secretary and President said that the working trip to attend the 19th Francophone Summit aims to continue affirming Vietnam's role as a key and responsible member of the Francophone community in the Asia-Pacific region as well as Vietnam's active and responsible participation in the activities of the Francophone community in particular and the international community in general.

The General Secretary and President called on overseas Vietnamese to continue to actively promote their role as a bridge in the relationship between Vietnam and countries in the Francophone community, bringing practical benefits to all parties, and directly contributing to the development of the country; hoping that overseas intellectuals will continue to bring the world's advanced scientific achievements to the country, training more talents for Vietnam. Overseas Vietnamese businessmen will bring more Vietnamese products to the international market, promoting the transfer of production facilities to Vietnam. Artists and writers will contribute to preserving and promoting the Vietnamese language in the Francophone space, contributing to promoting cultural and linguistic diversity.

General Secretary and President To Lam met with a group of outstanding Vietnamese intellectuals from countries in the Francophone community. (Photo: VNA)

During his official visit to the French Republic, General Secretary and President To Lam held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.

In an atmosphere of trust and frankness, General Secretary and President To Lam and President Macron had a comprehensive discussion on the socio-economic situation of each country, bilateral cooperation and regional and international issues of mutual concern. The two leaders expressed their delight at the positive developments in the relationship between the two countries; agreed to increase delegation exchanges at all levels, especially at high levels, through the Party, State, Government and National Assembly channels.

The two leaders agreed to declare the upgrading of relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership and agreed on major directions and measures to deepen the Vietnam-France comprehensive strategic partnership framework, making it more practical and suitable for the cooperation framework between the two countries in the new context. With this decision, France becomes the first country in the EU to have a comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam.

The two sides assessed security-defense cooperation as one of the important pillars; agreed to effectively implement signed cooperation agreements; promptly organize a Security-Defense Strategic Dialogue; coordinate and support each other in officer training, share experiences in crime prevention and combat; and support each other at regional and international security forums.

General Secretary and President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron hold a joint press conference. (Photo: VNA)

Regarding economics and trade, the two sides highly appreciated the cooperation between the two countries' ministries, branches and localities in this field; agreed to continue promoting preferential loans and ODA loans for Vietnam; encouraged the two countries' agencies and businesses to continue to fully and effectively implement the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). General Secretary and President To Lam asked France to soon complete the ratification process of the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA); highly appreciated Vietnam's efforts in transforming sustainable fisheries; and supported the EC to soon remove the yellow card for Vietnamese seafood.

President Macron affirmed that EVIPA is an important driving force to promote economic and trade relations between the two sides; affirmed that he will soon propose that the National Assembly approve EVIPA. The French President highly appreciated Vietnam's commitment to implementing the Fair Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and green transition. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in potential areas and areas in which France has strengths such as infrastructure, aerospace, science and technology, renewable energy, hydrogen energy, etc.

The two sides also agreed to promote cooperation in the fields of science and technology, aerospace, artificial intelligence, airport infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture, etc.

General Secretary and President To Lam receives National Secretary of the French Communist Party Fabien Roussel. (Photo: VNA)

During his official visit to the French Republic, General Secretary and President To Lam received National Secretary of the French Communist Party Fabien Roussel. General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed that the meeting and exchange with National Secretary of the French Communist Party Fabien Roussel was an opportunity to strengthen the friendship and solidarity between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the French Communist Party, of which President Ho Chi Minh was one of the founding members and had worked hard to cultivate with generations of French Communist Party members.

Appreciating the efforts and positive results achieved by the French Communist Party in recent times, General Secretary and President To Lam expressed his hope that the French Communist Party would continue to promote its experience and revolutionary traditions to further enhance the Party's position and role in France and Europe in the coming time. At the same time, the General Secretary and President suggested that the two Parties continue to cooperate actively and effectively, including promoting cooperation in the fields of trade and economy, local cooperation, increasing delegation exchanges, maintaining cooperation between Nhan Dan Newspaper and Nhan Dao Newspaper, organizing well the 4th Theoretical Workshop between the two Parties and the visit of the National Secretary of the French Communist Party to Vietnam.

Comrade Fabien Roussel also highly appreciated the achievements Vietnam has made in nearly 40 years of Doi Moi, affirming the role and correct leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The French Communist Party always respects and prioritizes the development of solidarity and friendship with the Communist Party of Vietnam and will strive to further deepen the foundation of the good relationship between the two Parties, actively contributing to strengthening the relationship between the two countries and peoples in the coming time.

General Secretary and President To Lam successfully concluded his official visit to the French Republic. (Photo: VNA)

As the first State visit to Mongolia by a Vietnamese President in 16 years, the first State visit to Ireland by a Vietnamese President since the two countries established diplomatic relations and the first visit to France by a Vietnamese President in 22 years, the recent working trip of General Secretary, President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation achieved many good results, marking important developments in the relations between Vietnam and Mongolia, Ireland and France. For the Francophone community, the working trip conveyed a message about Vietnam's sense of responsibility, active and proactive participation in the activities of the Francophone community in particular and the international community in general, thereby enhancing Vietnam's position in the international arena.