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| Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son welcomed Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
At the talks held on the morning of May 23, Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that Vietnam always values and wishes to strengthen the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with the Republic of Slovenia, a traditional friend and partner of Vietnam in Central Eastern Europe.
The Minister welcomed and highly appreciated the first visit to Vietnam by Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Tanja Fajon, considering this an important milestone in promoting the bilateral relationship to become increasingly deeper and more effective.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of Slovenia Tanja Fajon expressed her impression of Vietnam's positive socio-economic development achievements in recent times; highly appreciated Vietnam's increasingly important role and position in the region and the world; affirmed that Slovenia always attaches importance to and wishes to strengthen relations with Vietnam, Slovenia's leading important partner in Southeast Asia.
In an open and trusting atmosphere, the two Ministers had a comprehensive exchange on the socio-economic situation of each country and bilateral cooperation.
The two sides were pleased to note that over the past 30 years, the traditional friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Slovenia has been developing positively in many fields, especially in politics - diplomacy, economy - trade...;
The two sides also agreed that there is still much room for the two countries to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, and agreed on measures to promote cooperation in many potential areas in the coming period.
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| The two Ministers held talks. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
In terms of politics and diplomacy, the two sides agreed to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially at high levels in 2024 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, through State, Government, National Assembly and people-to-people channels; closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums and international organizations, including the United Nations, ASEM, and the ASEAN-EU cooperation framework.
The two Ministers highly appreciated the signing of the Cooperation Agreement between the two Foreign Ministries on this occasion, creating a legal foundation to promote cooperation between the two Ministries in the coming time, contributing to enhancing understanding and political trust between the two countries.
Regarding economy and trade, the two Ministers were pleased to note that, despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, economic cooperation between the two countries has continued to maintain positive growth momentum, with two-way trade turnover in 2022 reaching a record of over 570 million USD, an increase of 15% compared to 2021.
Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated the Slovenian side for organizing a business delegation to accompany the Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on this visit to Vietnam, suggesting that the two sides closely coordinate to maximize the opportunities brought by the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); encourage Slovenia to increase investment in areas that Vietnam has demand for and Slovenia has strengths such as maritime transport, logistics, water and waste management, etc.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia affirmed that Slovenia will soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), urge the EC to soon remove the IUU yellow card for Vietnamese seafood products, and coordinate to prepare for the organization of the 3rd meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on Economic Cooperation in October 2023 in Slovenia.
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of Slovenia Tanja Fajon assessed Vietnam as a dynamically developing economy in Southeast Asia and one of Slovenia's potential markets in the region; expressed the wish that the two sides promote cooperation in the fields of green technology, renewable energy, environmental protection, seaports, logistics, etc.; informed that the Slovenian Parliament is in the process of ratifying the EVIPA Agreement and affirmed its support for the EC to soon remove the IUU yellow card for Vietnamese seafood.
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| On this occasion, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two countries' Foreign Ministries. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
The two Foreign Ministers also agreed to coordinate in organizing cultural and artistic activities and people-to-people exchanges to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2024. The two sides also discussed promoting and expanding cooperation in new areas such as education - training, culture - tourism.
On this occasion, Minister Bui Thanh Son thanked the Slovenian Government for creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to integrate and live stably in Slovenia, and requested the Slovenian Government to continue supporting the Vietnamese community, further promoting its role as a bridge, and contributing to the development of relations between the two countries.
During the talks, the two sides also discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern. Regarding the East Sea, the two sides shared the importance of ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea as well as resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
After the talks, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Tanja Fajon signed a Cooperation Agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of Slovenia.
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