Deputy FM highlights significance of President Luong Cuong's tour to Chile, Peru

As reported earlier, President Luong Cuong will pay official visits to Chile and Peru from November 9-16 at the invitations of President of Chile Gabriel Boric Font and President of Peru Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra.

During his stay in Peru, Luong will attend the 2024 APEC Economic Leaders' Week.

This is Luong's first foreign tour since he was elected President of Viet Nam on October 21, 2024, which is expected to consolidate the traditional friendship, strengthen political trust and boost cooperation with these Latin American countries, said Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen.

For Chile, this is the first visit by a President of Viet Nam in 15 years and it takes place on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the historic meeting between President Ho Chi Minh and President Salvador Allende, which laid foundation for Chile to become the first Latin American country to established diplomatic relations with Viet Nam on March 25, 1971.

Chile was also the first country in Latin America to sign a free trade agreement with Viet Nam (1994), contributing to raise the two-way trade volume by four times over the last decade.

For Peru, this is the first-ever visit by a Vietnamese President and it occurs on the occasion of the 30th founding anniversary of the Viet Nam-Peru diplomatic relations.

The visit is a historic milestone, contributing to consolidating the fine political foundation between the two countrie.

Peru is the 6th largest trading partner of Viet Nam in Latin America while Viet Nam is the biggest trading partner of Peru in ASEAN.

The two-way trade reached nearly US$500 million last year and around US$300 million in the first seven months this year.

Regarding the 2024 APEC Economic Leaders' Week, the Vietnamese President's participation reflects Viet Nam's wish to continue active and responsible contributions to fostering economic connectivity process and creating new driving force for growth in the region, thus contributing to consolidating the role of APEC as a premier economic forum.

This is also a good opportunity for the President to meet with leaders of APEC member economies.

APEC, established in 1989, comprises 21 member economies which collectively account for 77 percent of trade, 81 percent of foreign investment, and 85 percent of inbound tourists in Viet Nam./.