The talks between PM Pham Minh Chinh and PM Xavier Bettel in Hanoi on May 4. (Photo: VNA) PM Chinh stated Vietnam treasures thefriendship and multifaceted cooperation with Luxembourg and that his guest’sofficial visit from May 3 to 5 holds great significance, especially as the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties and this is the first by aLuxembourg Government leader in over 20 years.
PM Bettel expressed his delight atmeeting with PM Chinh again five months after the Vietnamese leader paid anofficial visit to the European country in December 2022. He also highly valuedVietnam’s recent socio-economic achievements.
Both host and guest agreed on somemeasures for enhancing the political trust, friendship and multifacetedcooperation between the two countries, especially increasing all-leveldelegation exchanges, effectively implementing existing bilateral cooperationmechanisms, and considering the establishment of new ones matching thecountries’ potential and demand.
PM Chinh applauded the strides ineconomic and trade links, noting that Luxembourg is now the third biggestEuropean investor in Vietnam with capital totalling 2.6 billion USD.
He also welcomed leading enterprisesof Luxembourg in the fields it is strong in like finance, banking, logistics,and energy transition who are accompanying Bettel in the visit andattending a business forum between the two countries on this occasion.
The two sides agreed to step up thebuilding of logistics centres and the establishment of bonded warehouse systemsin each country.
Meanwhile, PM Bettle agreed to fullyand effectively carry out the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreemet (EVFTA) tobolster bilateral trade, push other EU countries’ ratification of the EU - VietnamInvestment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), support stronger cooperation betweenthe EU and Vietnam in sustainably developing the fisheries sector, and persuadethe European Commission to soon remove the “yellow card” warning in terms ofillegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Both leaders welcomed the two financeministries’ establishment of a strategic partnership in green finance, a newcooperation pillar, to help further enhance relations, especially in personneltraining, capacity building, institutional building, technology transfer, andfinancial assistance for agriculture and climate change response, in order toachieve green growth and sustainable and inclusive development.
The Vietnamese and Luxembourg PMs witness the signing of an agreement on the strategic partnership in green finance between the two finance ministries after their talks on May 4. (Photo: VNA) The two leaders also concurred inreinforcing ties in other areas such as culture, science and technology,information and communications, people-to-people exchange, tourism, and climatechange response. In particular, PM Bettel voiced support for increasingscholarships for Vietnamese students to learn in his country.
On this occasion, PM Chinh thankedand asked Luxembourg to continue creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamesecommunity to successfully integrate into its society and contribute to theEuropean country’s development.
At the talks, the PMs also exchangedviews on regional and international issues of common concern.
They affirmed that Vietnam andLuxembourg will maintain mutual support at multilateral forums andinternational organisations such as the cooperation framework between theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the EU, the Asia - Europe Meeting(ASEM), and the United Nations, especially during the time both serve asmembers of the UN Human Rights Council, so as to contribute to regional andglobal peace, stability, cooperation, and development.
Regarding the East Sea issue, bothsides reaffirmed the importance of guaranteeing peace, stability, security,safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea; not using orthreatening to use force; and resolving disputes by peaceful means in line withinternational law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).They also voiced support for the early finalisation of a code of conduct (COC)in the East Sea that is substantive, efficient, and in conformity withinternational law.
Following the talks, PMs Chinh andBettel witnessed the signing of a protocol amending the two Governments’agreement on double taxation avoidance and the prevention of income and asset taxevasion, along with an agreement on the strategic partnership in green financebetween the two finance ministries.
They also had a meeting with thepress to inform about the outcomes of their talks.
Later the same day, the two PMs toured Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam, Vietnam's first university built nearly a millennium ago, and the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum./.
VNA
