Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hold a joint press conference.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met with the press of the two countries. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

In the presence of the high-ranking delegation and reporters from both countries and international press, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh once again thanked and warmly welcomed Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the high-ranking delegation of the Kingdom of Spain on their official visit to Vietnam.

Affirming the important significance of the visit, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that he and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had just had a substantive, sincere, open, trustworthy meeting, with in-depth discussions on cooperation issues in many fields, bilaterally and multilaterally.

Pleased to see the Vietnam - Spain relationship growing well in all areas, the two sides highly agreed on directions to promote bilateral relations in the coming time, focusing on 6 specific groups of measures towards upgrading bilateral relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership at an appropriate time, for the benefit of the people of the two countries, peace, cooperation and development of each region and the world.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen contacts and exchanges of delegations at all levels, through the Party, State, Government and National Assembly channels; effectively implement bilateral cooperation mechanisms and agreements signed during this visit; continue to effectively implement the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to create a breakthrough for bilateral trade cooperation; and soon hold the first meeting of the Joint Committee on Economic, Trade and Investment Cooperation in 2025.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced the results of his talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

The two sides will promote defense and security cooperation on the basis of signed agreements; promote cooperation in education, training, science, technology and innovation, agriculture and fisheries; and promote cultural, artistic and sports exchanges, thereby enhancing people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Along with that, the two sides agreed to continue creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Spain and the Spanish community in Vietnam living and working in the two countries, making practical contributions to the socio-economic development of the host country and the friendship between the two countries.

The two sides will continue to closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums and international organizations, especially the United Nations and the ASEAN-EU framework; jointly implement initiatives to promote multilateralism, free trade, and climate change response, making positive contributions to peace, stability, and development in each region and the world.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that at the talks, Vietnam proposed that Spain act as a bridge to promote relations between Vietnam and the EU and Latin American countries; Vietnam agreed to act as a bridge to strengthen Spain-ASEAN relations.

Regarding the East Sea, the two sides reaffirmed the importance of ensuring security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, and resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Expressing his gratitude to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and senior Vietnamese leaders for their warm and solemn welcome, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that this was the first time a Spanish Prime Minister had officially visited Vietnam, marking the beginning of high-level activities as well as a new phase of cooperation between the two countries.

Appreciating Vietnam's increasingly high role and position in the region and the international arena, as well as Vietnam's foreign policy and national development strategy, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Spain supports and wishes to cooperate with dynamic economies like Vietnam.

Expressing admiration for Vietnam, after 50 years of national reunification, especially in recent years, it has developed steadily at a fairly high level, believing that Vietnam will become a developed, high-income country by 2045.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez speaks to the press of the two countries. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

The Spanish Prime Minister said that his visit to Vietnam contributes to consolidating and strengthening the relationship between the two countries, focusing on three areas. The first is to deepen political relations, aiming to elevate the relationship between the two countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the coming time.

The second is to promote economic cooperation, in which the two sides have signed documents to facilitate businesses of both sides to penetrate each other's markets. During this visit, the Spanish Prime Minister will also visit Ho Chi Minh City, where he will meet and connect businesses of the two countries, including considering and creating conditions for Spain and Vietnam to cooperate in the railway sector.

Third, the two sides affirmed that in the current context, trade tensions do not benefit any country but only cause harm. Therefore, a global approach is needed for the common good; towards the effective implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and sustainable development.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez believes that the 4th Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) Summit in 2025 in Vietnam and the 4th High-Level Conference on Finance for Development (FfD) in Spain will be successful, contributing to the sustainable development of the world.

Thanking the Vietnamese people for their hospitality, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez looks forward to meeting Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Spain soon.

* Previously, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez witnessed the handover ceremony of Vietnam-Spain cooperation documents including: Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation and political consultation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation of Spain; Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Spanish School of Diplomacy; Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation on culture and sports between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports of Spain; Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation on food safety and quality, veterinary medicine, plant protection and fisheries between the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Vietnam and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain; Framework Protocol on Financial Cooperation between the Government of Vietnam and the Government of Spain.

VNA

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/thu-tuong-pham-minh-chinh-va-thu-tuong-tay-ban-nha-pedro-sanchez-hop-bao-chung-post409718.html