Creating new impetus for strengthening Vietnam cooperation

At the invitation of Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov paid an official visit to Vietnam from March 17-19, 2024. Accompanying Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov were Deputy Foreign Minister, Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, 4 Deputy Governors of provinces and about 70 Uzbek enterprises. On the morning of March 18, at the Government Guest House, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son welcomed and held talks with Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov.

At the meeting, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son expressed his pleasure to welcome Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, emphasizing that this was the first visit to Vietnam by an Uzbekistani Foreign Minister since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992, an opportunity for the two sides to review and agree on directions and measures to strengthen the good traditional friendship and promote substantive bilateral cooperation in areas where Vietnam and Uzbekistan have strengths.

Minister Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated the positive socio-economic development achievements that Uzbekistan has achieved, and acknowledged the impressive growth of Vietnam-Uzbekistan trade turnover from 2021 to present, reaching an average of more than 30%/year. In particular, in 2023, bilateral turnover reached 159.7 million USD, an increase of 32% compared to 2022.

Focus - Creating new momentum for strengthening Vietnam - Uzbekistan cooperation — Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov. Photo: BNG

Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to relations with traditional friends, including Uzbekistan, and hopes that the two sides will continue to promote the political foundation and good relations from the Soviet era, creating new momentum for enhanced cooperation, in accordance with the needs, desires and strengths of the two countries.

Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov thanked Vietnam for its welcome to the Uzbek delegation; highly appreciated the results of Vietnam's independent and self-reliant foreign policy and the identity of "Vietnam's bamboo diplomacy" which have contributed to enhancing Vietnam's position in the region and the international arena; emphasized that Vietnam is one of Uzbekistan's traditional and leading important partners in the region; affirmed the desire to deepen and substantiate bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of economics, trade, investment, agriculture, and education; hoped that Vietnam would act as a bridge to help Uzbekistan further strengthen cooperation with the region, including expanding cooperation between ASEAN and the Central Asian region.

The two sides exchanged information on each country's socio-economic development situation, major foreign policy orientations, and reviewed the cooperation situation and the implementation of agreements reached between the two countries' senior leaders in recent times, while also sharing international and regional issues of mutual concern.

The two sides agreed that the two countries' foreign ministries need to maintain an information exchange mechanism, enhance coordination of actions, and play a coordinating and connecting role between the two sides' ministries and sectors to study possibilities and seek new cooperation opportunities, for the development interests of each country, for peace and stability in the region and the world.

On this occasion, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son thanked Uzbekistan, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, for supporting and creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to continue living, studying and doing business stably in Uzbekistan, continuing to promote the role of a bridge between the two peoples.

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