Gov’t chief meets with Czech President
VGP - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Czech President Petr Pavel on January 20 as part of his ongoing official visit to the European country.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (L) shakes hands with Czech President Petr Pavel in Prague, January 20, 2025. Photo: VGP
The Vietnamese Prime Minister informed the host about the outcomes of his talks with Czech counterpart Petr Fiala, saying that both sides were pleased to lift the bilateral relations to strategic partnership.
The pair agreed to continue facilitating the exchange of delegations at all levels, consolidate political trust and mutual understanding in line with the newly-established strategic partnership framework.
Regarding economic and trade cooperation, the two sides agreed to effectively optimize the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to boost bilateral trade to US$5 billion in the near future and encourage Czech investments in Viet Nam in such areas as digital transformation, pharmaceuticals, food industry, manufacturing and processing, and mining.
President Pavel applauded Viet Nam's unilateral visa exemption for Czech citizens in 2025 and welcomed the early launch of a direct flight route between Ha Noi and Prague.
He agreed to push for the swift ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by the remaining European countries and the removal of the European Commission's "yellow card" warning against Viet Nam's seafood exports.
Pavel also appreciated the Vietnamese community of 100,000 people in his country, recognizing their hard work, education, and proficiency in the Czech language. As the third-largest minority group in the country, they have made important contributions to the bilateral relations.
On multilateral cooperation, both the host and the guest agreed to work closely and support each other at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations and ASEAN-EU cooperation framework, contributing to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world./.
