Vietnam and Ireland become strategic partners in higher education

General Secretary and President To Lam and Irish President Michael D. Higgins and his wife at the Irish Presidential Palace on October 2 – Photo: VNA

The above contents were announced at the meeting on the evening of October 2 (Vietnam time) between General Secretary and President To Lam and Irish President Michael D. Higgins in the capital city of Dublin, Ireland.

There is no field that cannot be exchanged and cooperated.

According to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the meeting, President Michael D. Higgins warmly welcomed the first visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to Ireland.

The Irish leader then highly appreciated Vietnam’s foreign policy and affirmed the importance of Vietnam’s position and role in the Asia-Pacific region. He also emphasized that the two countries have many similarities in the struggle for national independence and there is no field or topic in which the two sides cannot discuss and cooperate.

General Secretary and President To Lam thanked Irish President Michael D. Higgins for his warm and respectful reception, affirming that Vietnam attaches importance to developing friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation with Ireland.

The head of the Party and State highly appreciated the Irish Government's priority position for Vietnam in its development cooperation policy, within the framework of the strategy "Global Ireland: Deploying activities in the Asia-Pacific region to 2025".

The General Secretary and President also expressed his hope that Ireland will continue to provide development assistance to Vietnam in priority areas such as green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, information technology, digital transformation, and sustainable development.

General Secretary and President To Lam and Irish President Michael D. Higgins at a private meeting before the talks – Photo: VNA

In order to enhance political trust and mutual understanding, the two leaders agreed to promote delegation exchanges at all levels, especially high-level ones, and actively implement existing cooperation mechanisms.

On this occasion, General Secretary and President To Lam was pleased to announce that the Vietnamese Government has decided and is implementing procedures to establish a Vietnamese Embassy in Ireland. The two leaders expressed their belief that this decision will open a new stage of development in bilateral relations, for the common interests of the people of the two countries.

Towards 5 billion USD bilateral trade

Overview of the talks between Vietnamese and Irish leaders – Photo: VNA

Regarding economic, trade and investment cooperation, the two leaders affirmed that this is an important pillar of cooperation and is developing positively with two-way trade turnover reaching 3.5 billion USD by 2024.

The two sides need to effectively utilize the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), promote trade and investment connectivity, and support the business communities of the two countries.

The two countries strive to increase trade turnover between the two countries to 5 billion USD by 2026, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins emphasized that Vietnam is Ireland's leading trade partner and there is still great room for cooperation between the two countries.

Noting Vietnam's request to speed up the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), the Irish leader also hoped that Vietnam would create favorable conditions for the export of high-quality agricultural and food products from Ireland.

Prioritize higher education cooperation

General Secretary and President To Lam planted a souvenir tree at the Irish Presidential Palace on October 2 – Photo: NGUYEN HONG

Also at the talks, the two sides welcomed the establishment of a strategic partnership on higher education between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Irish Ministry of Education, Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, as well as the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Vietnam National University, Hanoi and leading Irish universities.

The two leaders agreed that this is a priority area of ​​cooperation between the two countries, thereby contributing to improving the quality of training, developing high-quality human resources, promoting scientific research and innovation in Vietnam.

To enhance mutual understanding and connect the people of the two countries, General Secretary and President To Lam and President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins agreed to promote people-to-people exchanges, cultural and artistic cooperation, tourism, and cooperation between localities.

The two sides agreed to create favorable conditions for overseas Vietnamese of both countries to live and work, contribute to each other's socio-economic development, and promote the role of a bridge for the friendly relations between the two countries.

General Secretary and President To Lam discusses regional security

Within the framework of the talks, the two sides had in-depth discussions on regional security issues of mutual concern such as the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East, etc.

The two leaders called on all parties to protect civilians, conduct dialogue, and resolve conflicts by peaceful means on the basis of international law and the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter.

Vietnam and Ireland agreed to strengthen cooperation at multilateral forums such as ASEAN-EU, the United Nations and in areas such as responding to global challenges, climate change, food security, ensuring supply chains, etc.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/viet-nam-va-ireland-thanh-doi-tac-chien-luoc-ve-giao-duc-dai-hoc-20241002233525335.htm