Vietnam-Finland strengthen cooperation for a green future

Talking with Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Finnish leaders highly appreciated Vietnam's achievements in economic and social development, affirming that Vietnam is an important partner of this country in the region.

Talks between Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Riikka Purra, on November 28. (Photo: Huong Giang/VNA correspondent in Finland)

A VNA reporter reporting from Helsinki said that during his working visit to the Republic of Finland on November 28, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha met with President Alexander Stubb and held talks with Finnish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Rikka Purra.

During their meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, President Alexander Stubb and Deputy Prime Minister Rikka Purra highly appreciated Vietnam’s achievements in economic and social development. Both Finnish leaders affirmed that Vietnam is their country’s leading important partner in the Southeast Asian region.

President Stubb expressed his impression of the good friendship between the two countries and emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation in areas where Finland has strengths such as energy, education, information technology and the environment. The President also shared his fond memories of meeting with the General Secretary and President of Vietnam during the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024 and expressed his hope to soon visit Vietnam.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome from the Finnish Government and emphasized Finland's special role in supporting Vietnam in developing a green economy, sustainable transformation and building a circular economy.

The two sides also discussed international and regional issues, emphasizing the need for international cooperation in addressing traditional and non-traditional security challenges. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha affirmed that Vietnam supports Finland in strengthening its cooperation with ASEAN, and shares views on the importance of multilateralism, international law and resolving conflicts by peaceful means.

During the talks with Finnish Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Rikka Purra, the two sides highly appreciated the potential for economic cooperation in areas such as renewable energy, forestry, digital transformation, education and information technology. Deputy Prime Minister Rikka Purra pledged that Finland will continue to support Vietnam in achieving its goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, while encouraging businesses of the two countries to fully exploit the potential for cooperation.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha suggested that Finland create favorable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises such as FPT and VinFast to access the Finnish market, and urge the European Union (EU) to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). This will be an important driving force to strengthen trade and investment relations between the two sides.

Regarding financial cooperation, the two sides have achieved many remarkable achievements through agreements such as the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and the Framework Agreement on Projects Using Public Investment Funds. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the two countries can complement each other in this field, contributing to promoting sustainable development. In addition, Vietnam and Finland have coordinated and participated in many activities within multilateral frameworks such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha highly appreciated Finland's leading education system, which currently attracts more than 2,500 Vietnamese students. He suggested that Finland increase scholarships and study support for Vietnamese students.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and Minister of Economy and Employment Wille Rydman, November 28. (Photo: Huong Giang/VNA reporter from Finland)

Towards a sustainable future

Earlier, on November 27, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha had meetings with Minister of Environment and Climate Change Kai Mykkänen and Minister of Economic Affairs and Employment Wille Rydman. The meetings aimed to strengthen bilateral cooperation and open up new opportunities in strategic areas such as the environment, circular economy and labor.

During the meetings, the two Finnish Ministers highly appreciated the visit of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, affirming that the Vietnam-Finland friendship is developing positively in many areas. The Ministers expressed their belief that the visit will create new momentum for bilateral cooperation, and congratulated Vietnam on its outstanding socio-economic achievements in recent times. Finland pledged to consider Vietnam an important partner in Southeast Asia, wishing to strengthen trade relations and comprehensive cooperation.

Minister Kai Mykkänen highlighted the potential for cooperation between Vietnam and Finland, especially in the fields of clean energy and environmental economics. He shared Finland’s experience in building a circular economy through improving legislation, promoting waste recycling, eliminating fossil fuels and developing sustainable energy solutions. The Minister highly appreciated Vietnam’s efforts in energy transition and responding to climate change, and affirmed that Finland is ready to support Vietnam in achieving the “Net Zero” target by 2050.

Minister Wille Rydman added that Finland is a pioneer in Europe in building a circular economy strategy until 2025. He emphasized the potential for cooperation with Vietnam in areas such as mining, semiconductors, renewable energy and digital transformation.

Regarding labor cooperation, Minister Wille Rydman affirmed that Vietnam is a priority country for Finland in its international labor cooperation strategy. Finland is ready to discuss and strengthen cooperation in this field, and at the same time support the training of high-quality human resources for Vietnam.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha welcomed Finland’s cooperation and expressed his hope that the country would share its experience and support Vietnam in building a circular economy, increasing plastic waste recycling, and developing renewable energy. The Deputy Prime Minister highly appreciated Finland’s choice of Vietnam as a priority labor partner.

On this occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha invited Minister Kai Mykkänen and Minister Wille Rydman to attend the fourth Summit of the Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G), scheduled to be held in Vietnam in 2025.

The two sides also discussed international and regional issues of mutual concern, emphasizing the importance of multilateral cooperation, peace and sustainable development in the context of the world facing many challenges.

Meet the Vietnamese community in Finland

On the evening of November 28, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Finland and met with the Vietnamese community there. The meeting took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere, demonstrating the deep concern of the Party and State for the Vietnamese community abroad.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Finland Pham Thi Thanh Binh said that with nearly 16,000 members, the Vietnamese community in Finland has become an important bridge between the two countries. The community is always united, supports each other, and actively participates in social activities in the host country, contributing to building a good image of Vietnamese people.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said Finnish leaders highly appreciated the Vietnamese community, who are hardworking and well-integrated, and affirmed that Finland will continue to create conditions for the Vietnamese community in Finland to live and work stably, maintain national cultural identity, thereby promoting the role of a bridge to promote friendship, understanding and connection between the two countries and peoples.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the contributions of the Vietnamese community, especially in promoting economic cooperation between the two countries. Many Vietnamese have succeeded in the fields of business, science and technology, becoming shining examples for the younger generation.

The Deputy Prime Minister also shared Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements in recent years, while emphasizing new investment cooperation opportunities. He called on the Vietnamese community to continue to be a bridge to attract investment from Finland to Vietnam, especially in areas where Finland has strengths such as technology, clean energy and circular economy.

To support the growing Vietnamese community, the Party and State always pay attention to protecting the legitimate rights of our people. Legal policies related to overseas Vietnamese have been improved, creating favorable conditions for our people to live and work abroad.

The Deputy Prime Minister also informed about Vietnam's development orientations in the coming time, especially the building of a modern, independent, self-reliant and deeply internationally integrated economy. He hoped that the Vietnamese community would continue to make active contributions to the country's construction and development.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha’s visit to Finland marks a new step forward in Vietnam-Finland relations, opening up opportunities for extensive cooperation in many fields. With close coordination between the governments and businesses of the two countries, bilateral relations promise to develop strongly, meeting the needs and potentials of both sides./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-phan-lan-tang-cuong-hop-tac-vi-mot-tuong-lai-xanh-post996153.vnp