General Secretary, President To Lam meets Palestinian State Ambassador Saadi Salama.(Photo: VNA)

In a warm and cordial atmosphere, General Secretary and President To Lam congratulated Ambassador Saadi Salama on successfully completing his term as the Palestinian State Ambassador and Head of the Diplomatic Corps in Vietnam.

The General Secretary and President appreciated the deep connection, understanding, and special affection that Ambassador Saadi Salama has had for Vietnam over the past 40 years, a vivid testament to the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Palestine.

General Secretary and President To Lam emotionally recalled the historic visits of Chairman Yasser Arafat to Vietnam, affirming the profound bond between the two countries and peoples, sharing the aspirations for independence, freedom, self-reliance, and development.

On this occasion, General Secretary and President To Lam expressed gratitude to President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine for posthumously awarding and presenting high honours to General Vo Nguyen Giap, former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh, and several Vietnamese individuals.

General Secretary and President To Lam reaffirmed the consistent stance of the Party, State, and people of Vietnam in steadfastly supporting the just struggle of the Palestinian people and sharing in the hardships and losses they have endured after nearly three years of conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The General Secretary and President emphasized that Vietnam, within its capacity, is always ready to share and support the State and people of Palestine, endorsing efforts to seek a long-term, sustainable solution for the Middle East peace process based on the Two-State solution.

For his part, Ambassador Saadi Salama expressed his honour at being received by General Secretary and President To Lam and respectfully conveyed the greetings and gratitude of President Mahmoud Abbas and senior Palestinian leaders to General Secretary and President To Lam and the leaders and people of Vietnam for their steadfast support of the just struggle of the Palestinian people.

On this occasion, Ambassador Saadi Salama thanked and highly appreciated Vietnam's participation in the Peace Board on the Gaza Strip, stating that Vietnam's just and fair stance will positively contribute to the reconstruction of Gaza and promote the search for a sustainable, long-term solution for the Middle East peace process.

Recalling his deep impressions from his youth of a resilient Vietnam in the struggle for national independence, Ambassador Saadi Salama emotionally shared his pride in being associated with Vietnam for over 40 years since he first came to study and later became the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Palestinian State in Vietnam.

Ambassador Saadi Salama expressed deep gratitude to General Secretary and President To Lam, the generations of leaders, and the people of Vietnam for supporting him in fulfilling his duties.

Expressing admiration for the significant achievements Vietnam has attained in its nation-building and development, along with the four spiritual values of "solidarity, unity, reconciliation, and gratitude" of the Vietnamese people, Ambassador Saadi Salama affirmed that he will always carry the "Vietnam Story" as a source of inspiration for the Palestinian nation and people in their struggle for national independence and development.

On this occasion, Ambassador Saadi Salama expressed deep gratitude to General Secretary and President To Lam, the generations of leaders, and the people of Vietnam for supporting him in fulfilling his duties, affirming that in any position, he will continue to follow and contribute to expanding multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Palestine and the Arab countries.