Davos (VNA) –Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Swiss President Viola Amherd andSecretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD) Rebeca Grynspan in Davos, Switzerl✤and, on January 17 (local time) onthe sidelines of the 54th Annual 🔜Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF-54).

At the meeting with SwissPresident Viola Amherd, PM Chinh thanked the Swiss Government for the warmwelcome for him and congratulated Switzerland on the successful organisation ofWEF-54, which was attended by nearly3,000 leaders of governments and businesses globally. Both sides expressed theirdelight at the strong developments in the friendship and cooperation betweenthe two countries, especially in the fields of economy, trade, development assistance, culture, and education. They affirmed that regular contacts andexchanges between leaders and delegations of the two countries have contributed tostrengthening their political trust. The host said she appreciates Vietnam's outstanding socio-economic development achievements inrecent years, affirming that Vietnam is Switzerland's leading important economic partner in Southeast Asia. She pledged to continueproviding development aid to Vietnam, with more than 40 projects beingimplemented in various fields. For his part, the VietnamesePM affirmed that the achievements of the two countries’ cooperation over thepast 50 years prove their effective cooperation, laying a foundation for the two sides to elevate their relationship inthe coming time. Chinh proposed that the twosides coordinate closely to prepare well for high-level visits between the twocountries’ leaders, thereby reviewing and evaluating the cooperation resultsand proposing measures to advance collaboration. He thanked the SwissGovernment for providing Vietnam with official development assistance (ODA)which helped Vietnam gain many socio-economic achievements. He said he hopes more Swissbusinesses will come to Vietnam, and the two countries will enhance cooperationin science-technology, and innovation as well as security anddefence. The two leaders also agreedto have a flexible approach in negotiating the free trade agreement betweenVietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the bilateralInvestment Protection Agreement to create favourable conditions and ensure theinterests of businesses and investors of the two countries. The two leaders affirmed that they will continue to coordinateclosely at regional and international forums. Regarding the East Seaissue, they agreed on the importance of ensuring freedom of navigationand aviation in compliance with international law, and resolving disputes bypeaceful means on the basis of international law, especially the 1982United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), minimising theimpact of geopolitical factors on supply chains and the movement of goodsregionally and globally. Meeting with the Vietnamese Prime Minister,Secretary-General of UNCTAD Rebeca Grynspan stressed that UNCTAD alwaysconsiders Vietnam a model of development, trust, and optimism in the context ofthe current volatile world situation. Personally, as the former Vice Presidentof Costa Rica, she always sees Vietnam as a model of development and wishesto visit Vietnam. She shared that on the occasion of the 60thanniversary of UNCTAD this year, it will organise a global conference and hopesthat Vietnam will send leaders to attend. At the same time, she expressed her wish that Vietnam will participate and actively contribute to the UNCTADMinisterial Conference in 2025. PM Chinh affirmed thatVietnam highly values the organisation's role in supporting developing countries,including Vietnam, in the building of developmentpolicies, contributing to maintaining a prosperous life for people. He hoped that UNCTAD willcontinue to support Vietnam in all aspects of development, particularly humanresources training./.