To Lam's European tour opens up new cooperation opportunities with Denmark, EU, Belgium: FM

At the invitations of King Frederik X of Denmark, European Council President António Costa and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, General Secretary and President To Lam made a State visit to Denmark and official visits to the EU and Belgium from October 19 to 24.

This was the first State visit to Denmark by a General Secretary of Viet Nam, as well as the first official visits by General Secretary and President To Lam to the EU and Belgium following the 14th National Party Congress and the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly.

The tour underscored Viet Nam's high regard for its European partners and their appreciation of Viet Nam, while helping consolidate the country's international position, expand its network of trusted partners and deepen relations with Europe at both bilateral and regional levels.

The visits delivered important and substantive outcomes, reflecting strong political commitment and shared strategic orientations, the Foreign Minister said.

Denmark considers Viet Nam an important partner and a strategic gateway to Southeast Asia. The visit reaffirmed Viet Nam's role in Denmark's efforts to promote green and sustainable development, particularly in renewable energy, offshore wind power, green and smart seaports, and green maritime transport.

It also marked a significant milestone in the traditional friendship between the two countries, which spans 55 years. Denmark has supported Viet Nam throughout its struggle for national independence and reunification, post-war reconstruction and the Doi Moi (renewal) process.

During high-level meetings and exchanges, leaders from both sides highlighted the longstanding friendship between the two countries and the close ties between the Danish Royal Family and Viet Nam. The Danish side expressed appreciation for Viet Nam's development achievements and its strategic vision, while voicing confidence in the prospects for bilateral cooperation.

A major outcome was the decision to elevate bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, making Denmark the second EU member state to establish this level of partnership with Viet Nam, after France.

The new partnership framework is expected to provide fresh impetus for cooperation in politics, foreign affairs, the economy, science and technology, and education and training. Both sides identified trade, investment and economic cooperation as key pillar, with priority given to renewable energy, offshore wind power, green transition, seaports, logistics and sustainable maritime transport.

EU-Viet Nam cooperation expands into strategic fields

Regarding the EU, Foreign Minister Le said the summit meetings between General Secretary and President To Lam and the Presidents of the European Council and European Commission, together with recent high-level exchanges, helped strengthen mutual understanding and political trust while creating new momentum for bilateral cooperation.

Cooperation with the EU is expanding beyond trade, investment and technology transfer to encompass closer links among research institutions, universities and businesses. Joint research and development, technology application, co-developed products and deeper participation in regional and global value and supply chains are expected to help Viet Nam better leverage European expertise and innovation while strengthening economic autonomy and competitiveness.

During the visit, both sides discussed cooperation in science and technology, innovation, critical raw materials, strategic infrastructure, circular economy and marine economy. They also agreed to make more effective use of existing cooperation frameworks, including the Global Gateway initiative, the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and Horizon Europe.

The two sides further agreed to strengthen strategic dialogue and expand cooperation into new areas, including defense and security, maritime security and responses to non-traditional security challenges.

For Belgium, the ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by the Belgian Chamber of Representatives shortly before the official activities of the visit demonstrated Belgium's goodwill and commitment to strengthening relations with Viet Nam, the Foreign Minister said.

Senior leaders of both countries agreed on a vision of elevating bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership, broadening cooperation beyond the existing sectoral strategic partnership in agriculture.

The visit also opened up new opportunities to develop flagship cooperation projects that match Viet Nam's development needs with Belgium's strengths, particularly in seaports, logistics, clean energy, science and technology, and high-quality human resource training.

Minister Le said leaders and business communities from Denmark, the EU and Belgium expressed strong interest in Viet Nam's development policies, particularly its efforts to improve institutions, develop infrastructure and enhance workforce quality.

They also encouraged Viet Nam to continue building a stable, transparent, consistent and predictable legal and policy environment to facilitate long-term investment and cooperation.

A notable outcome of the visits was the mobilization of resources for Viet Nam's socio-economic development. At economic and trade forums and business meetings, European corporations and companies presented planned projects and investment proposals in Viet Nam with a preliminary combined value of around EUR20 billion, equivalent to more than US$22.4 billion.

Viet Nam and its European partners agreed to make more effective use of the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), promote trade and investment, and address outstanding obstacles. Viet Nam called on the remaining EU member states to ratify the EVIPA and urged the European Commission to lift its "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese seafood exports.

On multilateral aspect, the sides reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, the United Nations Charter, international law and the peaceful settlement of disputes. They also agreed to strengthen coordination at international and regional forums, promote ASEAN-EU relations, and contribute to peace, stability and sustainable development in their respective regions and worldwide./.