PM Chinh’s trip to UNGA, US, Brazil reap substantive, comprehensive results: minister

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation’s attendance in the high-level week of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), bilateral activities in the US, and official visit to Brazil have obtained substantive and comprehensive results, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son.

Talking to the press, he said the Vietnamese delegation’s attendance in the UNGA high-level week and bilateral activities in the US was successful and fulfilled all the set tasks and targets, thus practically implementing the foreign policy set by the 13th National Party Congress.

About the trip's main results, the minister said first of all, PM Chinh’s speeches at UNGA meetings, especially the general debate, conveyed major messages about the country’s viewpoints and policies. Second, Vietnam demonstrated itself as a country treasuring the value of peace and stability, showing strong socio-economic development, and boasting a growing role, stature and prestige in the international arena. Third, the trip created opportunities to further develop and set up new relations with other countries and international organisations, as seen in dozens of meetings between the PM and leaders of countries and international organisations.

During these meetings, partners expressed their respect for the stature, role, and active voice of Vietnam. They agreed to increase mutual visits, foster cooperation in politics - diplomacy, economy - trade, science - technology, labour, tourism, education - training, people-to-people exchanges, and support each other at regional and international forums.

On this occasion, Vietnam established diplomatic relations with Tonga, raising the number of countries it has diplomatic ties with to 193.

Leaders of many countries voiced their support for the importance of peacefully settling disputes in the East Sea on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and maintaining security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the waters.

Vietnam also became one of the first signatories to the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (also called the High Seas Treaty), according to Son.

He also stressed that PM Chinh's trip is the first to the US by a Vietnamese leader after the two countries had set up the comprehensive strategic partnership, helping carry out the agreements reached during President Joe Biden’s recent visit to Vietnam.

The PM engaged in tens of meetings and participated in many events in San Francisco, Washington DC, and New York with the presence of senior officials of the federal administration and congress, states, businesses, intellectuals, friends, and the Vietnamese community in the US.

The US partners affirmed the importance they attach to Vietnam, and that the development of bilateral relations is strongly supported by both the Republican Party and Democratic Party. They were highly unanimous in the need to quickly implement the newly established partnership, especially in such focal areas as economy - trade - investment, science - technology, innovation, education - training, settlement of war consequences, health care, environment, and people-to-people exchanges.

Minister Son said that the US side showed positive response to Vietnam’s call for the recognition of the Southeast Asian nation’s market economy status, the limitation of trade defence measures, the further opening of the US market to some Vietnamese exports, assistance for Vietnam to build a semiconductor ecosystem and join more deeply in global supply chains, and help for the country to address war consequences.

Besides, US enterprises affirmed that they will continue expanding investment and business activities in Vietnam, he noted, adding many cooperation agreements on infrastructure, digital transformation, green transition, and high technology were signed.

He went on to say that the official visit to Brazil was another practical step to implement Vietnam’s foreign policy, including enhancing relations with traditional friends, of which Brazil is a partner of leading importance.

The trip gained substantive and comprehensive results in terms of Party-to-Party, Government-to-Government, parliamentary, and people-to-people ties, as well as in various areas including politics - diplomacy, economy, trade, investment, defence, security, agriculture, education - training, science - technology, culture, tourism, and sports. It also opened up cooperation opportunities in some new fields such as green economy and digital economy.

During the visit, the two sides issued a joint communiqué, an important document reflecting the stature of bilateral cooperation and identifying orientations for more substantive and effective cooperation towards a new relationship in the time ahead, Son continued.

Brazil highly valued Vietnam’s growing standing and role in the region and the world, as well as the prospects of their cooperation not only in bilateral aspects but also within regional and international frameworks such as between Vietnam and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), the South - South Cooperation, the Forum for East Asia - Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to the Foreign Minister./.