Prime Minister holds phone conversation with Qatari counterpart amid Middle East tensions

Prime Minister Pham conveyed the greetings from General Secretary To Lam and senior Vietnamese leaders to the Qatari King and senior Qatari leaders.

Pham expressed his deep concern over the developments of the current conflict in the Middle East, calling on relevant parties to exercise restraint, promote efforts to reduce tensions, seek solutions to peace in the region on the basis of respect for international law, the United Nations Charter, and ensure the legitimate rights and interests of all relevant sides, affirming Viet Nam's readiness to actively make contributions to this process.

He spoke highly of Qatar's mediation efforts to peacefully settle conflicts in the Middle East, expressing his wish that the relevant sides would exercise restraint and avoid escalating tensions.

Viet Nam opposes the use of force against sovereign nations, especially against civilian infrastructure, which results in the deaths of civilians, emphasized the Vietnamese Prime Minister.

He called for a peaceful solution to the region based on respect for international law, the United Nations Charter, and ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of all parties, affirming Viet Nam's readiness to participate in the common efforts of the international community, including ASEAN, in order to find a peaceful solution to the current conflict.

Given the current context, Pham suggested the Qatari Government would countinue ensuring security and safety for the Vietnamese community there and create favorable conditions for Vietnamese nationals to transit via Qatar.

Regarding bilateral energy cooperation, the Qatari Prime Minister affirmed that his country is striving to fulfill its commitments and contracts with partners, standing ready to collaborate closely with Viet Nam to contribute to ensuring energy stability in the Southeast Asian nation.

Al-Thani also reiterated that Qatar attaches great importance to the relations with Viet Nam, expressing his wish to further bolster cooperation with Viet Nam across all fields.

The two leaders pledged to further improve the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation, especially in such fields like investment, trade, and energy transition while accelerating talks on a free trade agreement between Viet Nam and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Earlier the same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah discussed bilateral ties and regional situation over the phone./.