Viet Nam, Turkey issue Joint Statement

1. His Excellency Phạm Minh Chính, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, paid an official visit to the Republic of Türkiye on 29-30 November 2023 at the invitation of His Excellency Cevdet Yılmaz, Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye.

This is the first visit by a Vietnamese Prime Minister to Türkiye since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1978. The importance of the visit is magnified by the fact that it is taking place at the 45^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, as well as the centennial of the Republic of Türkiye.

During the visit, His Excellency Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was received by His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye and held meetings with His Excellency Cevdet Yılmaz, Vice President, His Excellency Prof. Dr. Numan Kurtulmuş, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, His Excellency Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, Minister of Trade and His Excellency Mehmet Şimşek, Minister of Treasury and Finance. His Excellency Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also attended the Türkiye-Viet Nam Business Forum and met with Turkish business people.

2. This visit aimed at strengthening the friendship and cooperation between Türkiye and Viet Nam, provided both sides to exchange views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues.

3. Expressing satisfaction for the progress achieved in bilateral relations, the two sides, in an atmosphere of amity, openness and sincerity, reiterated their determination to continue exchanges and contacts at all levels, in order to further promote friendship and expand their existing cooperation in various fields, including coordination and reciprocal support at the international fora.

4. The Vietnamese side expressed its condolences to the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and to the Turkish people for the heavy losses caused by the devastating earthquakes in February 2023 and admiration for their efforts and strong will in overcoming the consequences of the disaster.

The Turkish side expressed its appreciation for the valuable support extended by the Government and people of Viet Nam to overcome the consequences of the earthquakes, including the dispatchment of 100 servicemen to take part in search & rescue efforts, as well as financial assistance from the Vietnamese Government and the Viet Nam Red Cross Society with a total amount equivalent to US$ 900,000.

5. The two sides noted the importance of cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, tourism, culture, sports, science-technology, civil aviation, agriculture, defence and security, as well as consular affairs.

6. The Viet Nam-Türkiye economic cooperation was emphasised and the recent positive growth in bilateral trade was noted with satisfaction. Two-way trade volume in 2022 surpassed the 2.4 billion USD mark, an increase of 26.3 per cent compared to that of 2021. Furthermore, they noted the importance of maintaining this trend in a more balanced manner. The two sides agreed to closely coordinate to achieve the goal of 4 billion USD in trade turnover by advancing trade promotion through business networking and addressing current challenges in trade.

7. The Vietnamese side welcomed and encouraged Turkish companies to invest in the fields of industry, hi-tech agriculture, green economy, innovation, renewable energy, infrastructure, logistics, etc in Viet Nam. The Vietnamese side also welcomed that the passenger terminal at the Long Thanh International Airport is soon to be constructed by a consortium led by a Turkish company and invited Turkish companies to undertake further investment projects in Viet Nam in accordance with Vietnamese laws and regulations.

8. The two sides noted the potential for enhanced cooperation in the field of agriculture and expressed their commitment to engage in further discussion to expedite the relevant approval procedures for increasing trade in agricultural and animal products. The two sides further agreed to develop Halal industry in Viet Nam through, inter alia, experience sharing and capacity building.

9. In order to discuss the economic relations in a comprehensive manner, both sides expressed their desire to hold the next session of the Joint Economic Commission in the first quarter of 2024 in Ankara.

10. The two sides emphasised their desire to attract and create favourable conditions for more Turkish and Vietnamese tourists to their respective countries, agreed to exchange views on enhancing cooperation in the field of tourism and work towards encouraging private sector collaboration through fairs, symposia and conferences.

11. The two sides furthermore agreed on increased cooperation on civil aviation matters so as to contribute to tourism and trade as well.

12. On the occasion of the visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the two sides agreed on opening of the Consulate-General of the Republic of Türkiye in Ho Chi Minh City.

13. Acknowledging that defence industry is an area which holds extensive potential, the two sides agreed to increase cooperation in this field.

14. Both sides further agreed on increasing cooperation in combatting crimes, especially transnational and organized crime and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including through information and experience exchange.

15. Recalling the importance of disaster management, both sides agreed on promoting cooperation in technical training and experience sharing on search & rescue and relief efforts.

16. In order to enhance the legal framework for cooperation, the two sides committed to accelerating the ongoing negotiations of bilateral agreements on, inter alia, defence, security and extradition.

17. Within the framework of the visit, the two sides signed a number of bilateral agreements, namely the MoU on Agriculture and Forestry Cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye; MoU on Cooperation between the Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye and the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam; Letter of Intent on Cooperation between Turkish Airlines and Viet Nam Airlines.

18. Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation at multilateral fora, particularly at the United Nations. Both sides reiterated their support for ASEAN centrality in the region and to enhance cooperation between Türkiye and ASEAN, including through the ASEAN-Türkiye Sectoral Dialogue Partnership.

19. The two sides exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern and emphasised the importance of upholding international law and the UN Charter in order to ensure peace, stability, security and development at the regional and global level.

20. The two sides noted the importance of upgrading the friendly and cooperative relationship to a new partnership framework.

21. The Turkish leaders welcomed the visit of His Excellency Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to Türkiye and hailed the visit as an important milestone.

His Excellency Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the warm hospitality accorded to him and his delegation.

22. H.E. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, H.E. Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and H.E. Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmus expressed their appreciation for the invitations of H.E. President Vo Van Thuong, H.E. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and H.E. National Assembly President Vuong Dinh Hue, respectively, to pay official visits to Viet Nam at mutually convenient dates.

Ankara, 30 November 2023