Prime Minister starts official visit to Dominican Republic

The visit is made the invitation of President Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona and his spouse.

This is the first visit by a key Vietnamese leader to the Dominican Republic, demonstrating Viet Nam's commitment to strengthening and deepening the solidarity, friendship, and cooperation between the two countries, towards the 20th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations.

Prime Minister Pham was welcomed by the Dominican Republic's Minister of Agriculture Limber Cruz, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Julio Gomez, and other officials of both countries.

The Vietnamese Government leader is scheduled to hold talks with President Luis Abinader Corona, and meet with the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Over the past two decades, bilateral ties have blossomed across various sectors, including politics, diplomacy, trade, agriculture, culture and sci-tech.

Significant milestones include the appointment of the Dominican Republic's first resident ambassador to Viet Nam in October 2021 and the inauguration of its Embassy in Ha Noi in February 2023. These have made bilateral ties more effective and substantive.

More recently, in July 2024, the Dominican Republic's National Congress established the Dominica-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentary Group, which began operations on August 16, 2024. The first political consultation between the two foreign ministries took place in May 2014, further cementing the diplomatic bond.

Two-way trade surged from US$36.5 million in 2013 to nearly US$150.2 million in 2022, with expectations for continued expansion.

The visit is expected to generate momentum for expanding bilateral economic, trade, and investment ties, especially in promising fields such as agriculture, industry, construction materials, export processing zones, energy-oil and gas, telecommunications and tourism./.