Viet Nam, Spain look to upgrade ties to comprehensive strategic partnership
VGP – Spain will work with Viet Nam to upgrade bilateral ties to comprehensive strategic partnership in the coming time, said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez before their summit meeting at the Government Headquarters in Ha Noi, April 9, 2025. Photo: VGP
Prime Minister Sánchez made the above statement during their summit meeting with Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh in Ha Noi on April 9.
Sánchez is the first Spanish Prime Minister to visit Viet Nam since the two countries set up diplomatic relations in 1977, which is expected to open up a new chapter in the bilateral relations.
The Spanish Prime Minister showed his impression of Viet Nam's strong economic growth in recent times and its efforts to advance breakthroughs in science, technology and digital transformation.
Viet Nam is one of Spain's top priority partners in ASEAN, said Sánchez, adding that his country wishes to further step up comprehensive cooperation with Viet Nam – a proactive and responsible member in Asia-Pacific.
Prime Minister Pham highlighted the significance of Prime Minister Sánchez's ongoing visit to Viet Nam, affirming that Viet Nam attaches importance to and expects to further strengthen multifaceted cooperation with Spain – the first strategic partner of Viet Nam in the EU.
The two Prime Ministers agreed that both countries will work together to enhance delegation exchanges and meetings at all levels and across all channels; implement effectively the existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and explore the possibility to set up new sectoral cooperation frameworks.
The pair tasked the Ministries of Foreign Affairs to continue efforts to promote bilateral ties and explore potential areas of cooperation that could pave the way for upgrading the relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in the time to come.
They underscored the pivotal role of economic, trade, and investment cooperation as a key pillar of the countries' strategic partnership.
Both sides agreed to effectively implement the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and their freshly signed bilateral financial cooperation protocol.
The two sides agreed to convene the inaugural session of their joint economic, trade, and investment committee this year to unlock their economies' full potential and complementary strengths, with the goal of surpassing US$8 billion USD in bilateral trade.
Sánchez promised to push for the swift ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by remaining EU member states and the European Commission's removal of "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese seafood exports.
The two Prime Ministers agreed to deepen cooperation in education, culture, sports, and tourism, as well as in sustainable agriculture, local-to-local and people-to-people partnerships, human resource development, and defense-security collaboration.
Viet Nam and Spain will explore joint work in emerging fields such as science and technology, innovation, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and digital transformation, they agreed.
Prime Minister Pham called for exploring the possibility of a direct flight route between Viet Nam and Spain to boost tourism and people-to-people exchanges. He also welcomed the progress in bilateral cooperation on child adoption.
The two leaders affirmed solidarity, cooperation, multilateralism promotion, and upholding international law as key principles in addressing global challenges. They agreed to maintain close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums and international organizations, particularly the United Nations and ASEAN-EU framework.
On this occasion, Sánchez praised Viet Nam's proactive role in global issues for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development. He confirmed that Spain will send representatives to the Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit, hosted by Viet Nam this month.
Regarding the East Sea issue, both leaders affirmed their support for Viet Nam and ASEAN's stance on resolving related disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ensuring peace, stability, security, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the region./.
