Promoting tradition, unleashing Latin American potential

Leaving Hanoi, after half a world away, the plane carrying President Luong Cuong and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation on an official visit to Chile landed at Arturo M. Benitez International Airport in the capital Santiago de Chile, warmly welcomed by the leaders and people of the distant Latin American country.

Despite the geographical distance, Vietnam and Chile have similarities in history and a common vision of the world. They have been united and developed steadily for over 50 years and continue to develop, opening up new development potential.

Impressions of Vietnam from the other side of the world

Mentioning Chile is mentioning a distant land on the other side of the hemisphere but has had a close, friendly relationship with Vietnam for more than half a century. The relationship was built on the foundation of a close relationship laid by President Ho Chi Minh and President Salvador Allende, a symbol of the international movement supporting Vietnam, a symbol of the friendship between the two peoples of Vietnam and Chile, which has been preserved and nurtured through generations.

President Luong Cuong's official visit to Chile, which coincides with the 55th anniversary of the historic meeting between President Ho Chi Minh and President Salvador Allende, is of great significance in the relationship between the two countries.

All contacts during the visit demonstrated the warmth, respect and appreciation of the Chilean leaders and people for the good relationship with Vietnam. The daughter of President Salvador Allende, who is also a current Senator of Chile, Ms. Isabel Allende, was moved to welcome President Luong Cuong and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to visit her family.

President Luong Cuong visits the private home of late Chilean President Salvador Allende. (Photo: VNA)

Mrs. Isabel Allende shared her father's special impressions and feelings about the indomitable spirit of the heroic Vietnamese people and said that when he was elected President, he immediately decided to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam. As for Mrs. Isabel Allende, she also had the opportunity to visit Vietnam and was extremely impressed and admired the socio-economic achievements, as well as the comprehensive development in recent years of Vietnam, the country that her family always had a lot of affection for.

The long-lasting relationship and good impression also remained in the heart of former President Michelle Bachelet when she attended the flower-laying ceremony at the statue of President Ho Chi Minh in the park named after him in the Cerro Navia district, the capital of Santiago de Chile, with President Luong Cuong and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation.

The former President said that she always carries with her the imprints of the traditional, strong relationship and the warm, close and sincere feelings that generations of Vietnamese leaders and people have given to her personally and the people of Chile. “The meeting of the Vietnamese delegation today with the people of Cerro Navia district, the capital of Santiago de Chile, is not only a symbol of the friendly relationship over the years, but also an opportunity to open up new, more comprehensive and profound directions between the two countries,” said former President Michelle Bachelet.

The long-lasting friendship between the two countries and peoples, half a world apart, was clearly demonstrated when the President received the President of the Communist Party of Chile Lautaro Carmona Soto and many delegates, who, although from different generations, all have one thing in common: their love for the country and people of Vietnam.

Party Chairman Lautaro Carmona Soto affirmed that for Chile, regardless of party, they support the cooperative relationship in all fields between the two countries because Vietnam is a wonderful country, led by the Communist Party, always demonstrating a foreign policy of peace and cooperation, for the benefit of the people of the two countries.

As Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font said in his talks with President Luong Cuong, he expressed his admiration and respect for President Ho Chi Minh and the heroic struggle for national independence and unification of the Vietnamese people in the past, as well as for Vietnam's achievements in building and developing the country today, especially in the process of Doi Moi, considering this a valuable experience that Chile can refer to, serving the country's socio-economic development.

New development

The traditional, close relationship between Vietnam and Chile is multiplied by the particularly important visit of President Luong Cuong and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation to Chile this time.

This is the first visit to Chile by a Vietnamese head of state in the past 15 years, creating a strong driving force to further deepen the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, while identifying key areas of strategic breakthrough cooperation to further connect the two economies, making practical contributions to the development of each country.

Currently, Vietnam is one of Chile's leading trade partners in ASEAN and a bridge to help Chile access the Asian market, while Chile is also one of Vietnam's major trade partners in the Latin American region.

Representatives of Chilean businesses at the meeting with the President expressed their admiration for the dynamic development of the Vietnamese economy in recent years, and hoped to seek more cooperation agreements with new partners to enter the Vietnamese market.

Representatives of enterprises affirmed that the visit of President Luong Cuong to Chile will mark a new turning point in the cooperative relationship between the two countries. During the meeting, enterprises expressed their hope to cooperate with Vietnamese partners in areas such as mining, banking, finance, information technology and some other fields; at the same time, they hoped to receive support from relevant Vietnamese agencies to soon have opportunities to cooperate, develop production and business in the coming time... showing the potential and opportunities to expand cooperation despite the great geographical distance between the two countries.

New potentials for a strong friendship between the two countries were opened up when the President and the President of Chile shared the development vision of the two countries, supporting the values ​​of free trade, mutual development, mutual benefit and on the basis of potential and room for cooperation.

As President Gabriel Boric Font shared with the press after the talks: Vietnam and Chile have adopted a Joint Statement, as well as signed a number of cooperation agreements in the fields of defense, agriculture, and culture to consolidate and deepen the comprehensive partnership between the two countries. At the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the two sides will continue to make positive and specific contributions, contributing to the stability and development of the region and the world.

Unleashing new potential, during the visit, the ministries and sectors of the two countries signed memorandums of understanding for future development steps such as: Memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation between the two Ministries of Defense; Memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the Ministry of Agriculture of Chile on agricultural cooperation; Cultural cooperation program between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Chile for the period 2024-2026; Memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Vietnam Confederation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Chilean Trade Promotion Agency (ProChile).

Meeting with the press right after the talks, Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font believed that the President's visit would create a strong driving force, further deepening the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries. President Luong Cuong believed that with the good results of this visit, the framework of the Vietnam-Chile Comprehensive Partnership will continue to develop strongly, meeting the concerns and aspirations of the people of the two countries.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/phat-huy-truyen-thong-khoi-nguon-tiem-nang-my-latin-post844533.html