Viet Nam, Azerbaijan lift up bilateral ties to strategic partnership

Below is the full Joint Statement on establishment of Viet Nam-Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership:

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, Viet Nam and Azerbaijan (hereinafter referred to as "sides") have fostered a strong, traditional friendship and developed multifaceted cooperation based on trust, equality and mutual respect, in the interest of both sides.

The Viet Nam - Azerbaijan relationship is built on adherence to norms and principles of international law, in particular the United Nations Charter. These principles include respect for each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and their respective political systems; peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law; non-interference in each other's internal affairs and promotion of peace, security, and prosperity in accordance with the United Nations Charter.

Based on the outstanding achievements of bilateral relations in all areas over the past 33 years, and recognizing the vast potential for cooperation and the shared belief in a bright future, and with a view to fulfilling the aspirations of the peoples of the two countries, H.E. To Lam, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, and H.E. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, agreed to adopt a Joint Statement on elevating the Viet Nam - Azerbaijan relations to a Strategic Partnership, on the occasion of the State visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan by H.E. To Lam, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, from May 7^th to 8^th,2025.

The establishment of the Viet Nam - Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership is aimed at elevating the relationship between the two countries to a new height, both at bilateral and multilateral level. It will reinforce and enhance the existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms while paving the way for development of new frameworks to further deepen collaboration.

As part of the Strategic Partnership, Viet Nam and Azerbaijan will continue to deepen cooperation across a wide range of areas to ensure the tangible benefits for both peoples, while contributing to regional and international peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity with the focus on the following areas:

DIPLOMATIC AND POLITICAL RELATIONS

Both sides will promote high-level visits, including at the highest level, intensify exchanges and engagements through all appropriate channels, and explore the possibility of establishing new cooperation mechanisms between their respective ministries, agencies, cities and provinces.

Both sides will intensify engagements between their Ministries of Foreign Affairs on bilateral relations, as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest and concern, including by holding regular political consultations.

Both sides expressed their aspiration to strengthen relations between the Communist Party of Viet Nam and the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, and to promote parliamentary cooperation to enhance the role of their respective National Assemblies in delivering key elements of the Viet Nam - Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership.

ECONOMIC, TRADE, ENERGY, AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND TRANSPORTATION COOPERATION

Both sides expressed their willingness to promote substantive and comprehensive economic cooperation, to make effective use of concluded documents, and to enhance bilateral economic cooperation mechanisms, including the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technical Cooperation as a key platform for aligning priorities and facilitating long-term partnership in trade, investment and technological collaboration. Both sides will propose measures to harness opportunities and create breakthroughs in trade and investment cooperation to achieve a level of bilateral trade commensurate with the Strategic Partnership.

Both sides agreed to step up exploration of solutions to help businesses make effective use of the existing cooperation mechanisms and frameworks to advance bilateral investment and trade activities.

Both sides agreed to strongly drive cooperation in the energy sector, and to explore possibilities to enhance cooperation in clean and renewable energy. Both sides will enhance information exchange and promote cooperation in the fields of oil and gas extraction, oil and gas services, and training of human resources in this industry.

Both sides will advance the opening of their agricultural, forestry and fishery markets to help raise bilateral trade, strengthen agricultural cooperation, and provide support to the research and application of high technology in the agricultural sector, and promote joint programs and projects on climate change, environment protection and green growth.

Both sides agreed to step up the exchange of experience in railways, roads, airways and sea routes development and to advance collaboration in operating the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, with the aim of enhancing connectivity.

DEFENSE AND SECURITY COOPERATION

Both sides expressed their willingness to promote their bilateral defense and security cooperation, including through exchange of visits, enhance information exchange and collaborations, and expand cooperation in the security and defense industries, technology transfer, training and education.

The law enforcement agencies of both sides will promote exchange of information and experience, and coordinate their efforts in preventing and combating terrorism and crimes, including transnational organized crimes, illicit trafficking in drugs, trafficking in persons, cybercrimes, and other security threats and challenges of common concern.

COOPERATION IN EDUCATION, TRAINING, JUSTICE, CULTURE, TOURISM, AND PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGES

Both sides expressed readiness to effectively implement educational cooperation, consider granting scholarships to each other's students according to their respective needs and fields of study, promote comprehensive and continuous cooperation, and build mechanisms for the exchange of experts, lecturers and students, not only limiting to academic engagements for students and lecturers but also expanding to highly qualified experts.

Both sides expressed willingness to advance effective cooperation activities in the legal domain according to the Agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Justice of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan, signed on March 8, 2016.

Both sides agreed to step up the development and implementation of culture and history promotion and communication programs, organize Cultural Days in each other's territories, promote cultural and artistic delegation exchanges between the two sides, step up public promotion of each other's potential and strengths in the tourism industry, and foster active exchange of experiences and information on their respective tourism policies and governance.

Both sides pledged to facilitate better mutual understanding between the two peoples, and continue to further advance friendly exchanges between the two peoples, including the signing of new documents to establish twinning relations between their respective cities and provinces.

COOPERATION AT MULTILATERAL FRAMEWORKS

Both sides expressed their readiness to broaden and deepen cooperation and closely coordinate their respective positions and consider supporting each other within regional and international organizations, particularly the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), as well as in other multilateral frameworks. Both sides will make good use of each other's strengths and standing to promote cooperation between Azerbaijan and ASEAN, as well as its member states. Both sides will step up consultations and coordination of their respective positions on regional and international issues, and enhance bilateral engagement to address security challenges, including epidemics, climate change, terrorism, transnational crimes, cybercrimes, food, energy and water security, as well as other issues of mutual concern.

Present Joint Statement was adopted on May 7^th, 2025 in the city of Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan, in Vietnamese, Azerbaijani, and English languages./.