Viet Nam is Poland's most important partner in SEA: Polish Foreign Minister
VGP – Foreign Minister of Poland Zbigniew Rau said his country expects to further reinforce cooperation with Viet Nam - the most important partner of Poland in Southeast Asia.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosts a reception for Poland's Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, Ha Noi, March 16, 2023. Photo: VGP
Rau made the above statement during his meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Ha Noi on March 16.
Rau conveyed Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's invitation to Prime Minister Pham to pay an official visit to Poland soon.
Pham welcomed Rau to Viet Nam, expressing his ongoing visit would contribute to advancing the traditional friendship and fine cooperation across fields between the two countries.
The Prime Minister affirmed the Government of Viet Nam always attaches importance to strengthening multifaceted cooperation with Poland – one of Viet Nam's traditional partners in Central Eastern Europe.
Pham took the occasion to thank the Government and people of Poland for having donated nearly 1.4 million vaccine doses and eight tons of medical equipment worth around US$4 million to help Viet Nam contain the COVID-19 pandemic and reopen the economy, emphasizing that the move reflected the sincere affection and deep attachment between the people of the two countries.
He suggested both sides enhance the exchange of delegations, especially high-level ones and between sectors and localities in order to foster political trust and mutual understanding, forming a basis for stronger bilateral cooperation.
The Prime Minister noted with pleasure that Poland has been Viet Nam's biggest trade partner in Central Eastern Europe for the past years and that the two-way trade maintained growth momentum in 2021 and 2022, with over US$2.5 billion per year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pham suggested Poland create favorable conditions for Viet Nam's farm produce to enter its market while encouraging its investors to accelerate investment in pharmacy, food processing, and manufacturing in Viet Nam.
He also called on Poland to soon ratify the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement to facilitate fair and mutually beneficial investment cooperation between the two countries, and urge the European Commission to soon remove yellow card against Vietnamese seafood exports to bring benefits to consumers in Poland and the EU.
Both Prime Minister Pham and Polish Foreign Minister Rau agreed that the two countries need to foster coordination at regional and international multilateral forums.
On the East Sea issue, the two sides underlined the importance of ensuring security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, settling disputes through peaceful measures on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea./.
