Viet Nam, Panama vow to continue coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums

The top Vietnamese leader said both sides uphold the principles of international law and the United Nations, back the maintenance of maritime freedom and safety as well as the settlement of disputes through peaceful measures with respect for international law, the United Nations Charter, and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

In his keynote address at the high-level General Debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, General Secretary and President To Lam stressed that international commitments must be translated into action and bring people lives of peace, security, dignity and happiness. It is for this reason that the Pact for the Future and the 2030 Agenda, our promises to present and future generations, must be implemented earnestly and in full.

Commitments on financing for development, including the Sevilla Commitment, must be translated into concrete measures: expanding access to long-term financing at affordable cost, supporting countries burdened by debt, and amplifying the voice of developing countries in international financial and monetary institutions. The multilateral trading system must be strengthened in an open, equitable and transparent manner, ensuring development opportunities for all countries.

Climate action must be accorded its rightful place in development cooperation, particularly through adaptation finance, technology transfer and a just energy transition. Development must be people-centered and leave no one behind.

Growth must go hand in hand with social progress and equity, environmental protection and the safeguarding of people's livelihoods, particularly in vulnerable countries and communities. Global progress must uphold the spirit of humanity in relations among nations, safeguard their legitimate interests, and respect differences in history, culture and development conditions.

He reaffirmed that Viet Nam supports efforts to reform the United Nations, particularly the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Secretariat, with a view to enhancing effectiveness, prioritizing structural reform and streamlining the apparatus, while fully harnessing the Organization's advantages in advancing global agendas and safeguarding the interests of developing countries.

To Lam also told reporters that the two sides adopted a Joint Statement charting major orientations, targets, principles, and cooperation fields for the coming time; agreed to facilitate market access.

Meanwhile, President José Raúl Mulino underscored the importance of expanding and diversifying Panama's external relations, saying Viet Nam is a priority partner of his country in Asia-Pacific. He said both sides discussed how to cooperate in such fields like agriculture, tourism, maritime transport among others.

President José Raúl Mulino thanked Viet Nam for becoming the first country to sign the Protocol to the Treaty concerning the permanent neutrality and operationof the Panama Canal in 1979./.