This visit by the head of the Vietnamese government is of paramount importance on both bilateral and multilateral levels.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Source: VNA) |
The first destination on Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's five-day working trip was Türkiye, a country that recently celebrated its 100th National Day (October 29, 1923 - October 29, 2023).
A historic visit
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Türkiye is particularly significant as it coincides with the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The presence of the Vietnamese head of government in Ankara also holds historical importance, as it marks the first visit by a Vietnamese Prime Minister to Türkiye since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1978.
Therefore, speaking at the meeting, the host country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assessed the visit as a new beginning, opening a new era in bilateral relations. Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz affirmed that this was an important event of historical significance in promoting friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Turkey.
Both leaders emphasized that Türkiye values the development of multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam, a country of particular importance in Southeast Asia. Speaker of the Parliament Numan Kurtulmus stated that despite their geographical distance, Vietnam and Turkey have always cooperated actively and constructively, and have great potential to strengthen cooperation in the fields of economics, trade, science and technology, and defense industry.
The Vietnamese Prime Minister himself had many emotions upon his first visit to this transcontinental, Eurasian country. During meetings with Turkish leaders, the Prime Minister shared his impressions of Turkey, a country with a rich history and culture, magnificent natural landscapes, and hospitable people, known as the "crossroads of civilizations."
The Prime Minister highly appreciated the tremendous achievements that generations of Turkish leaders and people have made, transforming the country into a center of economy, finance, industry, science and technology, and tourism in the Middle East and the world.
“I am confident that, with their determination, the Government and people of Türkiye will successfully implement important national strategies such as the ‘Turkey Century Vision’ and the ‘Hydrogen Valley’ Project, soon making Turkey one of the top 10 countries in the world in all fields of politics, diplomacy, economics, technology, and military, and becoming a green hydrogen hub for the region,” the Prime Minister said at a press conference after talks with Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz at a press conference. (Source: VNA) |
Aiming for a trade turnover of 5 billion USD.
Because of the great significance of the visit, the discussions between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Turkish leaders covered many topics, and in particular, the two sides agreed on many concrete measures to further promote multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.
In terms of politics and diplomacy, both sides agreed to promote cooperation between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Türkiye, as well as between the governments and parliaments of the two countries.
Economically, both sides agreed that the potential for cooperation remains very large and needs to be specifically explored.
2017 marked a historic milestone in trade, with bilateral trade reaching US$3.2 billion, making Vietnam Turkey's second-largest trading partner in ASEAN, after Malaysia. Conversely, Türkiye is one of Vietnam's leading trading partners in the Middle East and serves as a gateway for Vietnam's exports to the Middle Eastern and Southern European markets.
In 2019 and 2022, Türkiye respectively announced the “New Asia Initiative” and the “Strategy to Enhance Trade with Distant Countries,” both of which mentioned ASEAN and Vietnam as potential partners. For Vietnam, the plan to develop relations between Vietnam and the Middle East-Africa region consistently places Türkiye in a position of significant economic influence in the region.
The determination to unlock the potential for economic cooperation between the two countries was emphasized when the host country's President set a target of $5 billion in bilateral trade in the coming period. The President affirmed that he would direct ministries and agencies to proactively implement the contents agreed upon during the Prime Minister's visit, including the early organization of the eighth session of the Vietnam-Turkey Intergovernmental Committee and the fifth Political Consultative Meeting between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs in the first half of 2024.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested Türkiye to create favorable conditions for Vietnam's key export products such as footwear, agricultural products, and seafood to penetrate Turkish supermarket chains and distribution systems. He also welcomed Turkish corporations and businesses to invest in areas such as hydrogen development, infrastructure, and logistics.
The leaders also agreed to promote cooperation in the development of Halal practices, tourism, agriculture, education and training, and to strengthen people-to-people exchanges.
Following the talks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz witnessed the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in agriculture and forestry between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey, the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Diplomatic Academy of Turkey, and the Letter of Intent on cooperation between Vietnam Airlines and Turkish Airlines.
A message of responsibility, proactiveness, and positivity.
A key highlight of the Vietnamese Prime Minister's second trip to Dubai (UAE) was joining over 130 heads of state and prime ministers from various countries to discuss and seek long-term solutions for climate change response at COP28 – the most important multilateral event on climate change this year.
Globally, the severe impacts of climate change demand urgent and decisive action from nations to achieve the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Responding to climate change requires a global, people-to-people approach that ensures climate equity and justice, and is based on international solidarity and cooperation, with developed countries playing a leading role in driving climate action while strengthening support for developing countries.
Therefore, attending the COP28 conference, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet stated that Vietnam expects the conference to achieve substantive progress, especially in the four top priority areas.
Firstly, countries continue to take strong actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pursue a sustainable and equitable energy transition.
Secondly, developed countries are fulfilling their commitments, particularly in providing financing and supporting technology transfer to developing countries in this process (including fulfilling commitments to mobilize $100 billion annually and increasing the commitment level for the periods up to 2025 and 2030).
Third, pay due attention to climate change adaptation activities, and develop a clear and feasible Global Adaptation Framework. Fourth, bring the Loss and Damage Fund into operation as soon as possible to provide a new and larger source of funding to support developing countries and those most severely affected by climate change.
At the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to announce several new initiatives and commitments from Vietnam to work with the international community to best respond to climate change in the coming period.
Since Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced Vietnam's commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 at COP26 (2021), the participation of the Vietnamese head of government at this COP conference continues to be an opportunity for Vietnam to strongly demonstrate its responsible, proactive, and positive role in addressing the common global challenge of climate change; helping the international community understand Vietnam's policies, determination, efforts, as well as the difficulties and challenges it faces in responding to climate change.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's working visit to the UAE takes place in the context of the two countries celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1993-2023). Therefore, bilateral contacts with the UAE during the COP28 conference will also contribute to strengthening political trust and creating new, breakthrough momentum for Vietnam's cooperation with this Gulf nation in all fields.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's working trip to two destinations of significant importance at both bilateral and multilateral levels will contribute to the implementation of Vietnam's independent, self-reliant, multilateral, and diversified foreign policy, showcasing the image of a peaceful, sincere, and reliable partner of the international community.
Since Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's participation in the ASEAN-GCC Summit and bilateral activities in Saudi Arabia (October 2023), this second trip to the Middle East by the Vietnamese head of government within just two months has conveyed a message of strong commitment and demonstrated Vietnam's clear interest in promoting multifaceted cooperation with the potentially rich Middle East region.
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