Vietnam always attaches importance to the friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Belgium.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son received Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of Belgium Maxime Prévo. (Photo: An Dang/VNA)

On the afternoon of March 31, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son had a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation of Belgium Maxime Prevot.

Welcoming the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to Vietnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to the friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Belgium; highly appreciated the significance of the visit to Vietnam by the King and Queen of Belgium from March 31 to April 4.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son emphasized that this is the first exchange of delegations at the head of state level between the two countries in more than 50 years since Vietnam and Belgium established diplomatic relations.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son thanked Belgium for being the first country to ratify the Resolution supporting Agent Orange victims in Vietnam, contributing to raising the international community's awareness of the threat of chemical weapons.

To continue promoting the pillar of economic, investment and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Belgium, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son emphasized the importance of effectively implementing and making good use of the great opportunities from the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); and requested Belgium to soon ratify the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot thanked Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son for his warm welcome; affirmed that Vietnam is Belgium's top priority partner in the Asia-Pacific region; and thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries and sectors for closely coordinating with the Belgian side to arrange the State visit to Vietnam by the King and Queen of Belgium.

He stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between the two countries, especially in the context of rapid changes in the world; affirmed that he would accompany and support Vietnam in implementing the Resolution to support Agent Orange victims in Vietnam.

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot affirmed his desire to strengthen trade and investment cooperation with Vietnam, especially in the context of many changes in the world and to ensure the avoidance of disruptions in the global supply chain; believed that the EVIPA Agreement would soon be ratified in the near future and agreed with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son's assessment of the benefits that this Agreement would bring to both sides.

In a warm, friendly and open atmosphere, the two leaders agreed that the two Foreign Ministries will closely coordinate to implement the results of the Belgian King's State visit to Vietnam; and promote visits at the central and local levels.

The two sides agreed to strengthen dialogue on all channels, especially through bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the Political Consultation at the Deputy Foreign Minister level, the Strategic Partnership framework on agriculture, and research into establishing a new framework in the coming time, including cooperation between the Diplomatic Academy and Belgian research institutions.

The two sides continue to closely coordinate and support each other at international forums and organizations such as the United Nations, especially at the United Nations Human Rights Council when both countries are members for the 2023-2025 term, the ASEAN-EU relations framework, and Francophonie.

The two sides emphasized the need to promote cooperation not only in traditional areas such as trade, investment, education and training, but also in other areas such as defense, high technology, semiconductor chips, innovation, energy conversion, and training of high-quality human resources in the semiconductor field.

According to VNA/Vietnam+

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/viet-nam-luon-coi-trong-quan-he-huu-nghi-va-hop-tac-nhieu-mat-voi-bi-post317033.html