Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh holds summit meeting with Brazilian President Lula

Pham expressed his pleasure to meet President Lula on the occasion of the 35th founding anniversary of the Viet Nam-Brazil diplomatic relations (1989-2024) and conveyed the greetings from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee To Lam, President Luong Cuong and Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man to President Lula and other senior Brazilian leaders.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister underlined the significant importance of this year's G20 Summit in the context of challenging world, expressing his belief that Brazil will successfully host the event.

He expressed his appreciation for the agenda of the summit, which focuses on hunger and poverty eradication, sustainable development, and reform of global governance, saying that these topics are common concerns of developing countries.

President Lula welcomed Prime Minister Pham to the G20 Summit. He said Brazil, as the host, upholds and promotes breakthrough initiatives, including the establishment of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, to address global challenges.

Lula thanked Viet Nam for its support and active engagement in the aforesaid initiatives, expressing his belief that Viet Nam would make positive contributions to this summit.

Regarding bilateral relations, President Lula acknowledged Prime Minister Pham's proposals to recognize Viet Nam's market economy status and start negotiations on a free trade agreements between Viet Nam and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) in 2025 in order to bring practical benefits and contribute to national development in each country.

In a bid to further deepen the Viet Nam-Brazil relations at both bilateral and multilateral aspects, the two leaders agreed to issue the Joint Statement on elevating the bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership.

The leaders tasked the two foreign ministries to promptly develop and complete the contents of the Strategic Partnership framework.

Both sides agreed to coordinate in implementing measures to strengthen the bilateral relations commensurate with the new framework, including increasing delegatio exchanges and contacts at all levels, working together to implement the agreements signed during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Brazil in September last year.

The above-mentioned agreements include the Education Cooperation Agreement, the Action Plan to implement the MoU on agricultural cooperation, and the Action Plan to implement cooperation for the period 2024-2025 between the two Diplomatic Academies.

Both sides agreed to soon convene the 3rd meeting of the Viet Nam-Brazil Joint Committee on Economic and Trade Cooperation, the 1st meeting of the Viet Nam-Brazil Joint Committee on Science and Technology, and the 9th political consultation between the two foreign ministries.

The two countries agreed to explore cooperation opportunities in new fronts such as high-technology, digital transformation, energy transition, biofuels, environmental protection, climate chage adaptation.

The two leaders highly valued the importance of defense and security cooperation and agreed to foster cooperation in officer training, defense industry, defense trade, logistics, military medicine and peace-keeping operations on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation signed in September last year.

Both sides also agreed to promote cooperation in combating transnational crimes and cybersecurity.

Pham welcomed and spoke highly of Brazil's decision to send a delegation to attend the Viet Nam International Defense Expo 2024, expressing his belief that the Brazilian delegation's participation will contribute positively to the success of the Expo.

Comparing notes on regional and international issues of common concern, the two leaders agreed to boost cooperation in such matters like global governance reform, United Nations reform, poverty eradication, and climate change adaptation.

The two leaders shared the view that international differences and disputes must be settled through peaceful measures on the basis of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

President Lula kindly invited Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the COP30 and BRICS Plus Summit in Brazil next year.

Pham conveyed the invitations from General Secretary To Lam and President Luong Cuong to President Lula to visit Viet Nam in 2025. President Lula gladly accepted the invitations./.