Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and Secretary of State Sanja Stiglic informed each other about the situation in each country; agreed to assess that the bilateral relationship has developed strongly in many areas in recent times; affirmed that the two sides' holding of this Political Consultation is even more meaningful because it takes place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Slovenia diplomatic relations.
Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang highly appreciated Slovenia's consideration of Vietnam as a priority partner in its policy of strengthening and expanding relations with Southeast Asian countries; affirming that Vietnam always attaches importance to developing good relations with Slovenia, an important partner of Vietnam in the Central Eastern Europe region.
State Secretary Sanja Stiglic expressed his impression of Vietnam's achievements in economic and social development and international integration in recent years; 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.
The two sides agreed to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially at high levels, through state, government, parliamentary and people-to-people channels. Regarding cooperation between the two foreign ministries, they affirmed to continue implementing the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2023, including effectively organizing annual consultation activities between the two foreign ministries to enhance mutual understanding and trust, and promote the role of connecting effective cooperation between ministries, branches and localities of the two countries.
Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and Secretary of State Sanja Stiglic expressed satisfaction with the positive developments in economic cooperation between the two countries. Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, annual two-way trade turnover in the 2020-2022 period increased by an average of 15% per year, reaching 516 million USD in 2023.
The two sides agreed to further promote trade and investment cooperation by continuing to fully and effectively implement the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); improve the effectiveness of the Intergovernmental Committee on Economic Cooperation mechanism; create favorable conditions for each other's goods to be more present in each other's market; encourage Slovenian businesses to increase investment in Vietnam, especially in areas where Slovenia has strengths such as maritime transport, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, etc.
On this occasion, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang asked Slovenia to complete the procedures for ratifying the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), thereby facilitating equal and mutually beneficial investment cooperation between the two sides and supporting the European Commission (EC) to soon remove the “yellow card” on Vietnam’s seafood exports, while supporting Vietnam in developing sustainable fisheries.
State Secretary Sanja Stiglic assessed Vietnam as a potential economic partner, with more and more Slovenian enterprises interested in doing business with Vietnam; highly appreciated Vietnam's strong commitments at COP26 on climate change response and affirmed that Slovenia is ready to share experience and cooperate with Vietnam in this field.
The two sides agreed to coordinate the organization of art performances in each country this year on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations; promote bilateral cooperation in potential areas such as education, training, green economy, digital and circular economy, maritime transport, logistics, tourism, labor, etc.
At the meeting, the two sides had in-depth discussions on regional and international issues of mutual concern; affirmed to continue to closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums, such as the United Nations, ASEAN-EU relations, especially in the context of Slovenia holding the position of non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2024-2025 term. Regarding the East Sea issue, the two sides emphasized their support for the stance of Vietnam and ASEAN on ensuring security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, resolving disputes by peaceful means, and complying with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
On this occasion, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang thanked and requested the Slovenian Government to continue creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Slovenia to live stably and integrate well into the locality, actively contribute to the local economy and society, and promote the role of a bridge for cooperation between the two countries.
 |
| Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang met with Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Tanja Fajon. (Photo: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS) |
During the working trip, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang met with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Tanja Fajon; worked with Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Igor Papic, visited the NAPREJ Institute for Innovation, met with President of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tibor Simonka, met with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Slovenia and attended the Ceremony to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Slovenia diplomatic relations.
Source
Comment (0)