Gov’t chief meets with Belgian King Philippe
VGP - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday met with Belgian King Philippe who is on a four-day state visit to Viet Nam.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) shakes hands with Belgian King Philippe before their summit meeting at the Government Office in Ha Noi, April 1, 2025 - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
Pham underscored the significance of the Belgian King Philippe's Viet Nam visit, saying it would inject fresh momentum for strengthening bilateral relations, deepening political trust, and fostering comprehensive cooperation for the benefits of the two countries' people and for peace and stability in the region and the world at large.
Pham spoke highly of Belgium’s valueable support and assistance for Viet Nam and urged the Belgian side to deploy concrete projects to realize the resolution adopted by the Belgian parliament in October 2023, to provide assistance for Vietnamese victims of AO/dioxin.
He called on Belgium to expedite the ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and to push for the European Commission's removal of its "yellow card" warning against Viet Nam’s seafood exports.
King Philippe, for his part, highly valued the Vietnamese Government's support for Viet Nam-Belgium relations and expressed his admiration for Viet Nam's socio-economic growth over the years.
Both sides agreed to enhance delegation exchanges and engagements at all levels across Party, Government, and parliamentary channels. They committed to strengthening inter-ministerial cooperation, maximizing the effectiveness of existing bilateral mechanisms, and facilitating greater people-to-people exchanges.
Both sides also acknowledged the crucial role of the Vietnamese community in Belgium and the Belgian community in Viet Nam in fostering the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
The leaders emphasized that Viet Nam and Belgium should coordinate closely together at international and regional forums to promote multilateralism, uphold international law, and address global challenges.
Regarding the East Sea issue, they underscored the importance of maintaining safety, security, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, while resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Pham took this occasion to extend an invitation to Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever to visit Viet Nam to further promote bilateral cooperation./.
