Prime Minister arrives in Ankara, begins visit to Türkiye

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife arrived in Ankara, beginning an official visit to Türkiye on November 29-30.

The plane carrying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife Le Thi Bich Tran landed at Esenboga Airport in Ankara at 9:20 p.m. on November 28 (1:20 a.m. on November 29, Hanoi time). This is the first official visit to Türkiye by a Vietnamese Prime Minister, and also the first high-level delegation exchange between the two countries since 2018.

Welcoming the delegation at the airport were Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar, Ankara Deputy Governor Sait Atalay, Ankara Deputy Mayor, Commander of the Army, Director of the Protocol Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye Ahmet Cemil Miroglu. On the Vietnamese side, there were Vietnamese Ambassador to Türkiye Do Son Hai and his wife, along with a number of embassy officials, staff and Vietnamese expatriates in Türkiye.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to hold talks and meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, and Speaker of the National Assembly Numan Kurtulmus; receive a number of ministers and leaders of major Turkish economic groups; attend the Vietnam-Türkiye Business Forum and visit a number of economic, cultural and historical establishments.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife arrive at Esenboga airport, Türkiye on November 28. Photo: CTV — Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife arrive at Esenboga airport, Turkey on November 28. Photo: *CTV*

Vietnam and Türkiye established diplomatic relations on June 7, 1978, and the two countries have maintained friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation. Türkiye is one of Vietnam's leading trade partners in the Middle East and a gateway for Vietnam to export to the Middle East and Southern European markets. Bilateral trade turnover in 2022 reached more than 2 billion USD, of which Vietnam exported 1.6 billion USD.

As of October, Türkiye had 36 valid investment projects with a total registered capital of 974.3 million USD, ranking 26th out of 143 countries and territories with investment projects in Vietnam.

There are about 200 Vietnamese people living in Türkiye. During the earthquake disaster that occurred in southeastern Türkiye in February, Vietnam provided $100,000 in aid and sent two rescue teams to help with the aftermath.