Prime Minister Xavier Bettel (L) and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. (Photo: WVR/Nguyen Hong)

During his stay in Vietnam, Prime Minister Bettel held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Chinh, witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in finance, including an agreement on strategic partnership in green finance between the two countries’ finance ministries, met with the press on outcomes of the talks, had a meeting with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, and visited the Temple of Literature and the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.

The Prime Minister also visited Ho Chi Minh City, attended and delivered a speech at the Vietnam-Luxembourg Business Forum, visited the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange and the War Remnants Museum, and scoped out climate change impacts in the area along Sai Gon River.

During the meetings, the two sides affirmed their wish and determination to advance the bilateral relationship to a new development period, making it more intensive, extensive and substantive.

They agreed on measures to enhance the political trust and deepen the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries such as increasing all-level delegation exchanges, effectively implementing bilateral cooperation mechanisms and establishing new ones, and pushing ahead with the construction of logistics centres.

The Luxembourg Prime Minister consented to effectively and fully materialising the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) in order to boost bilateral trade, and to urge other EU countries to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

The leader also noted his support for EU-Vietnam cooperation in sustainable fishery, and the EC to remove its '”yellow card” warning on Vietnamese seafood at an early date.

Apart from green finance, the two sides concurred to step up collaboration in culture, science-technology, information-communications, people-to-people exchange, tourism, and climate change response.

Regarding regional and international issues of shared concern, they affirmed their further coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums and international organisations such as ASEAN-EU cooperation, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the United Nations, especially at the time when both countries are members of the UN Human Rights Council, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

On the East Sea issue, they reiterated the importance of ensuring peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, neither using force nor threatening to use force, and settling disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The two sides expressed their support for the early approval of a substantive, effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law.

Following the visit to Luxembourg by Prime Minister Chinh in December 2022, Prime Minister Bettel’s official visit to Vietnam demonstrates the two countries’ resolve to work together in elevating the bilateral cooperation to a new height.