Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son received Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son welcomed Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot.

Welcoming the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to Vietnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to the friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Belgium and highly appreciates the significance of the visit to Vietnam by the King and Queen of Belgium from March 31 to April 4.

Emphasizing that this is the first Head of State visit between the two countries in more than 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son also expressed his gratitude to Belgium for being the first country to ratify the Resolution supporting Agent Orange victims in Vietnam, contributing to raising international awareness of the threat of chemical weapons.

To promote economic, investment and trade cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son emphasized the importance of effectively implementing and taking advantage of opportunities from the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and asked Belgium to soon ratify the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

At the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations between Vietnam and Belgium, affirming their commitment to promoting cooperation in many fields, especially economics, trade, investment and development cooperation.

The Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, affirming that Vietnam is Belgium's top priority partner in the Asia-Pacific region. He also appreciated the close coordination of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries and sectors in arranging the State visit of the Belgian King and Queen, and emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation in the context of many changes in the world. Belgium pledged to accompany and support Vietnam in implementing the Resolution in support of Agent Orange victims.

Emphasizing the desire to promote trade and investment cooperation with Vietnam, the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister affirmed the need to ensure that the global supply chain is not disrupted in the context of many fluctuations in the world economy. He expressed his belief that the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) will soon be ratified and agreed with the assessment of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son on the benefits that this Agreement will bring to both sides.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated the traditional friendship and good cooperation between Vietnam and Belgium in recent times.

In a warm, friendly and open atmosphere, the two leaders agreed that the two Foreign Ministries should closely coordinate to implement the results of the Belgian King's State visit to Vietnam; and promote visits at the central and local levels.

The two sides agreed to strengthen dialogue on all channels, especially through bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the Political Consultation at the Deputy Foreign Minister level, the Strategic Partnership framework on agriculture, and research into establishing new frameworks in the coming time, including cooperation between the Diplomatic Academy and Belgian research institutions.

In addition, continue to closely coordinate and support each other at international forums and organizations such as the United Nations (UN), especially at the United Nations Human Rights Council when both countries are members for the 2023-2025 term, the ASEAN-EU relations framework, and Francophonie.

The two sides emphasized the need to promote cooperation not only in traditional areas such as trade, investment, education and training, but also in other areas such as defense, high technology, semiconductor chips, innovation, energy conversion, and training of high-quality human resources in the semiconductor field.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/pho-thu-tuong-bo-truong-ngoai-giao-bui-thanh-son-tiep-pho-thu-tuong-bo-truong-ngoai-giao-bi-309506.html