Vietnamese Party and State Leader Hosts Newly Accredited Ambassadors

During the reception for Argentine Ambassador Marcos Antonio Bednarski, Lam emphasized that Vietnam always attaches importance to traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Argentina, a leading partner in Latin America, and strives to further strengthen them.

He expressed satisfaction with the steady development of bilateral relations and asked the ambassador to work closely with the Vietnamese side to further strengthen the friendship and all-round contacts between the two countries, maintain frequent high-level mutual visits and cooperation mechanisms, and improve the legal framework for cooperation.

He added that based on the good relations, Argentina should continue to cooperate with Vietnam to accelerate the launch of negotiations for a free trade agreement between the Southeast Asian country and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), which would give impetus to broader economic and trade ties between the two countries, as well as between Vietnam and the South American region.

The senior Vietnamese leader also said he believes the ambassador will actively contribute to the friendship and cooperation of the two nations. He added that he will order Vietnamese ministries and sectors to cooperate and assist the diplomat during his stay in Vietnam.

Ambassador Bednarski expressed the honor of serving in Vietnam in the context of developing bilateral relations, confirming that his country’s government attaches great importance to relations with the Asia-Pacific countries, of which Vietnam is one of the main partners.

Promising to make all possible efforts to strengthen bilateral partnerships in many areas, he stressed that Vietnam is an important trading partner of Argentina in Asia and that both sides still have much room to deepen cooperation in areas where they are strong.

During a meeting with Algerian Ambassador Sofiane Chaib, Lam said that Vietnam highly values ​​Algeria’s role and position in Africa and the world, and that it values ​​its tried-and-tested friendship and cooperation with Algeria.

He noted with satisfaction that bilateral ties were developing in many areas and urged the Ambassador to actively cooperate with Vietnamese agencies to further strengthen relations, including by increasing the number of high-level delegations and mutual support in multilateral and international fora.

The leader of the host country also called for strengthening trade relations, taking into account the interests of both sides, maximizing the current cooperation mechanisms and promoting negotiations to sign cooperation agreements in other areas, such as construction, security – fighting crime and education.

Ambassador Chaib said that bilateral trade has tripled over the past 10 years but the potential is still significant and that during his term he will make every effort to contribute to bilateral cooperation in many areas.

Algeria could become a gateway for Vietnam to expand cooperation to other African markets, he added, expressing hope that the two countries would share many values ​​and principles and cooperate properly in multilateral fora, especially within the United Nations.

Receiving German Ambassador Helga Margarete Barth, Lam reaffirmed that the state and government of Vietnam always pay attention to strengthening the strategic partnership with Germany, which is a key member of the European Union and has an important voice in the international arena.

He thanked and called on the German Government to continue to firmly support the peaceful settlement of disputes in the East China Sea based on international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in order to maintain peace, stability, freedom, security and safety of navigation and overflight in the region while respecting international law.

The Vietnamese leader said that in order to tap the potential of both sides, further deepen comprehensive cooperation and raise the level of strategic partnership, the two countries should continue to exchange delegations at all levels, effectively implement dialogue mechanisms and optimize the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

He asked Germany to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) soon, continue to work closely with Vietnam on implementing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), and share experience, transfer technology and help Vietnam train human resources to respond to climate change and develop a green economy. He also welcomed German investments in manufacturing, transport, renewable energy, circular economy and strategic infrastructure in Vietnam.

Lam also asked both sides to increase the number of exchange students, promote the use of German and Vietnamese languages ​​in each other’s countries, promote mechanisms and frameworks for long-term cooperation in vocational education to help Vietnam develop high-quality human resources, and create conditions for Vietnamese to work in Germany.

Ambassador Barth expressed her satisfaction with the progress made in the political, diplomatic, trade, investment and cultural partnership.

Highly appreciating the educational cooperation between the two countries, she announced that Germany will establish an international high school in Vietnam to serve as a symbol of their cooperation.

Barth added that during her stay in Vietnam she intends to focus on strengthening bilateral economic and cultural ties, counting on support from local authorities.

The receiving DPRK Ambassador Ri Sung Guk, the Secretary-General and President Lam stressed Vietnam’s unwavering stance on cherishing the traditional friendship with the DPRK, noting that Vietnam is willing to strengthen cooperation with the DPRK to develop bilateral cooperation in line with the aspirations of both peoples for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

He expressed sympathy for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea over the current difficulties and expressed confidence that the country would soon achieve stability and peace, ensuring successful development, advancing along the path to socialism and ensuring the happiness and prosperity of its people.

The leader called on both sides to continue close cooperation and mutual support in international and regional fora in the face of rapid and complex changes taking place in the region and the world.

Vietnam is ready to actively contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and development on the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region, he noted.

Ambassador Ri said it was an honour to serve in Vietnam and that he looked forward to working with relevant Vietnamese agencies to organise various activities in 2024 to mark the 60th anniversary of then-leader Kim Il-sung’s visit to Vietnam and ahead of the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations next year.

During the meeting with the Swedish Ambassador Johan Ndisi, Lam stressed that the traditional friendship between our countries has been strengthened many times in recent times.

He stressed that many Swedish-funded projects make a significant contribution to local socio-economic development, and expressed satisfaction with the increased investment by Swedish companies in areas where they are strong, including infrastructure, transport, green transformation, renewable energy, urban planning and sustainable development.

He asked countries to promote people-to-people exchanges through education, culture, art, sports, tourism and inter-local cooperation to deepen mutual understanding, friendship and overall cooperation.

In his opinion, both countries still have significant potential to strengthen ties in areas such as trade-investment, education-training, science-technology and renewable energy.

Echoing his host’s sentiments about the flourishing bilateral relations over the past more than five decades, Ndisi said many major Swedish companies have invested in Vietnam and many more want to come here to explore investment and business opportunities in various areas.

He added that Sweden hopes to strengthen ties in the areas of innovation, sustainable development, climate change response and green transformation, which are also among its strengths.

The diplomat promised that during his term of office he would intensify activities aimed at further maintaining the traditional friendship and fruitful cooperation between the two nations.