Vietnam to strengthen cooperation with partners: State President

Vietnam expects to strengthen cooperation with its partners in various fields for mutual benefits and prosperity, said State President Vo Van Thuong at a meeting with leaders from Singapore, the UK, and Cuba on May 5 in London (local time), which is part of his visit to the UK to attend the coronation of Charles III.

State President Vo Van Thuong and his Singaporean counterpart Halimah Yacob. Source: VNA

During his meeting with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, President Vo Van Thuong expressed his satisfaction with the progress made in all areas of the two countries' relationship, including during the pandemic.

He emphasized the need for concrete, practical, and effective measures to deepen their relationship in 2023, which marks the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership.

These measures include maintaining high-level delegations and strengthening cooperation in investment, trade, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

The President also commended the newly established Digital Economy-Green Economy Partnership as a significant milestone in the two countries' cooperation toward a more sustainable future. He acknowledged that Vietnam and Singapore shared similar views on many international and regional issues and also expressed his desire for continued exchanges and close coordination at multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations and ASEAN.

During their meeting, Singaporean President Halimah Yacob congratulated Thuong on his new position and expressed her appreciation for strengthening the two countries' relationship through high-level visits, such as her visit to Vietnam in October 2022 and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Singapore in February 2023.

She also expressed her hope for increased cooperation between the two countries, particularly in renewable energy, digital transformation, and carbon credits, building upon successful platforms like the VSIP industrial parks.

Both leaders acknowledged the strong and growing relationship between Vietnam and Singapore, including their close cooperation within ASEAN. They noted the significance of 2023 as a meaningful year for the two countries, marking 50 years of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership.

They agreed to prioritize further strengthening the strategic partnership by deepening political trust and cooperation in various areas, including economy, trade, defense, security, culture, education, and people-to-people exchange.

The two leaders also emphasized the importance of promoting a united and resilient ASEAN community, with a central role in shaping the regional architecture, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, and settling disputes through peaceful means.

They reiterated the importance of fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and completing negotiations for an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) by international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

At the end of the meeting, President Halimah Yacob extended a warm invitation for State President Vo Van Thuong to make a state visit to Singapore soon, to which he expressed his gratitude and promised to arrange a visit at an appropriate time.

State President Vo Van Thuong and UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly.

During May 4-6, State President Vo Van Thuong held meetings with various British officials, including Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Nigel Evans, Foreign Minister James Cleverly, and Defense Minister Ben Wallace. He also briefly met with Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdes Mesa.

President Vo Van Thuong expressed his satisfaction with the positive developments in the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership as the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The signing and implementation of the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), the issuance of a Joint Statement on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership, and the strengthening of cooperation in politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, education, and technology show the commitment of both governments to elevating the relationship to a new level, serving the goals of sustainable development and effectively responding to regional and global challenges.

The British officials affirmed the importance of President Vo Van Thuong's visit, especially as the two countries celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations. They acknowledged Vietnam as one of the leading partners in the region as the UK promotes the implementation of the Indo-Pacific strategy.

They expressed their satisfaction with the dynamic development of the Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership over the past decade in all fields, such as politics, economy, and education. They agreed to continue strengthening the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high-level channels in the Party, State, Government, Parliament channels, and people-to-people exchanges.

The officials also committed to fully and effectively implementing the UKVFTA and bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the Strategic-Security-Defense Dialogue, the Joint Committee on Economic-Trade-Investment Cooperation (JETCO), and Defense Policy Dialogue.

Both sides expressed their interest in expanding and strengthening the cooperation between Vietnam and the UK in security and defense, the development of a green economy, response to climate change, and renewable energy.

State President Vo Van Thuong also proposed the UK actively support Vietnam in finance, technology, and capacity building through the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), in line with Vietnam's strong commitments at COP26.

Regarding cooperation at regional and international forums, both sides agreed to closely coordinate and support each other in multilateral frameworks like UK-ASEAN, the United Nations, the Human Rights Council for 2023-2025, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The British Government and Parliament leaders expressed their support for Vietnam and ASEAN's stances on the East Sea and peaceful dispute settlement based on international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the UNCLOS 1982. They also supported the ongoing COC negotiation process between ASEAN and China.

Vietnam, Cuba affirm longstanding friendship cooperation

The Vietnamese State President and Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdes Mesa.

During his meeting with Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdes Mesa, Thuong expressed his pleasure to meet him and noted the significance of 2023 as the 50th anniversary of Cuban leader Fidel Castro's visit to the liberated region of South Vietnam.

Thuong affirmed the strong and long-standing relationship between Vietnam and Cuba, which he described as a model of purity, rarity, exemplary conduct, and faithfulness.

In response, Mesa congratulated Thuong on his new position and praised the continuous consolidation and cultivation of political relations between the two countries.

He highlighted recent high-level exchanges, including the visit of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to Cuba and a delegation of high-ranking officials from the Communist Party of Cuba led by Politburo member and Standing Committee of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Cuba, Roberto Morales Ojeda, to Vietnam.

He also noted the effective cooperation mechanisms between the two countries and their close coordination and exchange of ideas at multilateral organizations and forums. Finally, Comrade Salvador Valdes Mesa expressed his belief that the relations between the two countries will continue to be consolidated and developed well in the future.