Top Vietnamese, Swiss leaders hold talks in Ha Noi

To Lam reiterated that Viet Nam always attaches importance to its Comprehensive Partnership with Switzerland, expressing his wish that the two nations will continue working together to advance national development and contribute to peace, stability and development in the region.

Parmelin, for his part, affirmed that the upcoming signing of a free trade agreement between Viet Nam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries would provide a good opportunity for businesses to tap into potential cooperation.

Countries with medium-sized economies could coordinate via joint economic initiatives to promote multilateralism and free trade, he noted, inviting Viet Nam to participate in the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership initiative.

The Swiss President hailed Viet Nam's balanced foreign policy, which has helped the Southeast Asian country establish its standing in the region and the world.

The two leaders vowed to strengthen political trust through exchanges of delegations and high-level meetings, as well as mutual support at multilateral forums.

They emphasized the need for both sides to further elevate trade and investment cooperation following the signing of the Viet Nam–EFTA Free Trade Agreement; and encourage more Swiss businesses to invest in Viet Nam, particularly in the seaport sector.

The host and the guest agreed to foster cooperation between their specialized agencies and financial and banking institutions in digital finance, blockchain technology, digital assets and financial technology (fintech) areas.

Both sides also agreed to make science, technology and innovation a key pillar of bilateral cooperation by utilizing existing cooperation mechanisms between their national science and technology development funds, and strengthening partnership between the two countries' universities and research institutes.

The two sides concurred to boost collaboration in such fields like environment, culture and tourism, make defense and security an important area of bilateral cooperation, especially peacekeeping and crime prevention, and step up people-to-peope exchanges.

The two leaders pledged to continue bolstering the bilateral cooperation in line with the Comprehensive Partnership framework and capitalize on the advantages of the Viet Nam–EFTA Free Trade Agreement.

On this occasion, the leaders witnessed the exchange of several cooperation documents between their ministries and agencies in the fields of labor, science and technology, trade, and urban development.

The Swiss President invited Viet Nam to attend the Global AI Summit 2027, scheduled to take place in Switzerland in 2027, with the aim of further promoting cooperation in AI./.