Vietnam always attaches importance to and wishes to strengthen multi-faceted cooperation with Belgium.

At the meeting with Belgian King Philippe, the President affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to and wishes to strengthen multi-faceted cooperation with Belgium, a member country with an important role and voice in the EU.

President Luong Cuong meets with King Philippe of Belgium. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

At the invitation of President Luong Cuong and his wife, King Philippe of Belgium and Queen paid a state visit to Vietnam from March 31 to April 4.

On the morning of April 1, after the State-level welcoming ceremony solemnly held at the Presidential Palace, President Luong Cuong and Belgian King Philippe met.

At the meeting, President Luong Cuong warmly welcomed the Belgian King Philippe and the high-ranking delegation of the Kingdom of Belgium to pay their first State visit to Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973; affirming that the visit is an important historical milestone, opening a new page for the friendly relations between the two countries.

The President affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to and wishes to strengthen multi-faceted cooperation with Belgium, a member country with an important role and voice in the EU; expressed his appreciation for the valuable support of the Belgian people for Vietnam in the past struggle for national independence, as well as the good feelings and contributions of the King and Queen of Belgium personally to the country and people of Vietnam and the bilateral relationship in recent times.

King Philippe expressed his pleasure in revisiting Vietnam, after three previous visits as Crown Prince; and sincerely thanked the Party, State and people of Vietnam for the warm welcome given to the King and Queen, as well as the high-ranking Belgian delegation.

The Belgian King congratulated Vietnam on its remarkable socio-economic achievements in recent times; affirmed his appreciation for Vietnam's role and position in the Asia-Pacific region and wished to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in areas where both sides have strengths and potential.

President Luong Cuong and King Philippe of Belgium meet in private. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

In an atmosphere of sincerity, friendship and trust, the two leaders discussed major cooperation directions between the two countries to deepen the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Belgium, in a practical and effective manner, including increasing contacts and exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially high-level, through all channels of the Party, State, Government and National Assembly; continuing to effectively implement existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms and studying and building new cooperation mechanisms to deepen specialized cooperation between the two countries; closely coordinating and supporting each other at international forums and organizations such as the ASEAN-EU, Francophone, United Nations, especially at the United Nations Human Rights Council when both countries are members for the 2023-2025 term...

On this occasion, President Luong Cuong thanked Belgium for passing the Belgian National Assembly’s Resolution on supporting Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange; emphasized the important significance of this Resolution for Vietnam and suggested that the two countries actively implement the Resolution in the coming time, contributing to raising the international community’s awareness of the consequences of Agent Orange in Vietnam.

Regarding economy and trade, an important pillar in Vietnam-Belgium relations, the two leaders agreed to continue effectively implementing the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

President Luong Cuong proposed that Belgium soon ratify the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to promote equal and mutually beneficial investment relations between businesses of the two countries; that Belgian businesses increase investment in Vietnam, especially in areas where Belgium has strengths such as high technology, renewable energy, digital transformation, and strategic infrastructure; and that Belgium speak out so that the European Commission (EC) can soon remove the IUU “yellow card” on Vietnam’s seafood exports.

Belgian King Philippe wants Belgian businesses in the fields of wastewater treatment, energy, rare mineral exploitation... to participate in investment and business activities in Vietnam.

The two Leaders emphasized the importance of implementing the Strategic Partnership framework on agriculture through developing circular agricultural economic models, smart agriculture, enhancing technology transfer between research and training agencies on agriculture, forestry and fisheries, contributing to Vietnam's efforts in responding to climate change, especially in the Mekong Delta region; agreed to study and develop an agricultural cooperation program between Vietnam and the Regions of Belgium.

The two sides agreed to promote cooperation in important areas such as agriculture, education-training, culture-tourism, national defense-security, science and technology, and local cooperation; at the same time, expand to other potential areas such as green technology, artificial intelligence, innovation, high technology, promote the startup ecosystem, and train high-quality human resources, especially in the semiconductor industry.

President Luong Cuong thanked Belgium for its attention to the Vietnamese community living, working and studying in Belgium and asked Belgian authorities at all levels to continue creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to successfully integrate into the host country, contribute to the development of Belgium and act as an important bridge to promote friendly cooperation between the two countries.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two sides affirmed the importance of promoting multilateralism and respect for international law; emphasizing the settlement of disputes in the East Sea by peaceful means, on the basis of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), contributing to maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the regions and the world, for global cooperation and prosperity.

After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the handover of cooperation documents including: Cooperation program for the period 2025-2027 between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Brussels Capital Region; Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Flanders Regional Technology Research Organization; Memorandum of Understanding between the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency and the Flanders Investment and Trade Agency and the Walloon Investment-Export Promotion Agency and the Brussels Business Support Agency; Agreement in principle between the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin and the Aquitara Impact Fund 1 of the Kingdom of Belgium./.

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