Foreign Minster meets EU officials in Brussels
VGP - Viet Nam commits to promoting and strengthening its comprehensive cooperation and partnership with the EU, affirmed Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.
Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) meets High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy cum Vice-President of the European Commission (EC) Josep Borrell, Brussels, Belgium, February 2, 2024 - Photo: baoquocte.vn
Bui made the above statement during his meeting with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy cum Vice-President of the European Commission (EC) Josep Borrell in Brussels, Belgium, on February 2.
The meeting took place on the occasion of the diplomat's attendance at the 24th EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the 3rd EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in Belgium from February 1-2.
Bui suggested both sides enhance high-ranking delegation exchanges and fully and effectively utilize current cooperation mechanisms.
He recommended remaining 10 EU member countries to soon ratify the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and the EC remove the "yellow card" on the Vietnamese seafoods.
The Vietnamese diplomat underlined the need to expand cooperation in potential areas such as climate change adaption, and energy transition, especially via the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) framework and the Global Gateway strategy.
Viet Nam expects to enhance close coordination with the EU at all multi-lateral forums and stands ready to play a bridging role in advancing the EU-ASEAN relations, he noted.
For his part, Josep Borrell reiterated that Viet Nam is a crucial partner of the EU in the region, pledging to speed up the ratification of the EVIPA with a view to boost investment from Europe to Viet Nam.
Both sides committed to fostering cooperation in handling global and regional issues for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
At a meeting with EU High Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen on the same day, Bui asserted that the EU and its members are the top priority partners in Viet Nam's foreign policy.
He expressed thanks to the EU for providing development assistance to Viet Nam over the years, expecting that the EU would continue to support Viet Nam in infrastructure development, sustainable agricultural development and adaptation to climate change, and energy transition.
Urpilainen, for her part, underscored that Viet Nam is the unique partner that has established five major cooperation frameworks with the EU in the areas of politics, defense, trade, investment and energy.
She expressed her wish that the two sides would continue to effectively implement the signed agreements, contributing to deepening the comprehensive partnership.
Both sides vowed to continue contributing to maintaining peace, stability, ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the region and the world, and promoting respect for the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter.
On the occasion, Bui had meetings with Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel, Polish FM Radoslaw Sikorski, Spanish FM José Manuel Albares Bueno and Greek FM Giorgos Gerapetritis, and Finish FM Elina Valtonen./.
