Politburo Member, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung welcomes Special Advisor of Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, Shimo Hiroshi. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung expressed thanks and highly appreciated Advisor Shimo Hiroshi's participation in the Forum; he valued Wakayama Prefecture's active involvement in the event and Shimo's role as a close friend and important bridge between Wakayama and Vietnam.

During the meeting, Minister Le Hoai Trung thanked the Government and localities of Japan for their support for Vietnam's development in recent times. He praised the positive cooperative relations between Wakayama and various Vietnamese ministries, sectors, and localities, and suggested that Wakayama continue to strengthen cooperation with existing partners and explore expanding collaborations with new localities. He encouraged businesses to expand investment, transfer technology, and deepen their involvement in Vietnam's supply chain, especially in high-tech agriculture, food processing, supporting industries, green transition, digital transformation, and innovation. He also emphasized the importance of enhancing human resource training and promoting tourism, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges.

Minister Le Hoai Trung expressed gratitude to the Wakayama Prefecture administration and Advisor Shimo for their ongoing support and assistance to the Vietnamese community living, studying, and working in the province. He affirmed that, with Vietnam's position in the region and internationally, the country will continue to cooperate to further contribute to Japan's development. On this occasion, the Foreign Minister also expressed gratitude to former Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP) and former Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance Toshihiro Nikai, for his positive sentiments and contributions to Vietnam.

Special Advisor Shimo Hiroshi expressed his pleasure at being invited to the Forum and meeting with Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung; he highly valued the Forum's significance in promoting connectivity and expanding cooperation between the localities of the two countries. Advisor Shimo stressed that Wakayama prefecture has actively engaged in numerous collaborations with Vietnamese ministries, sectors, and localities, particularly in labour, agriculture, and trade. The provincial administration has always been attentive, supportive, and facilitated the integration, living, studying, and working conditions for the community of over 2,200 Vietnamese in the province. Agreeing with the Minister's opinions and proposals, Advisor Shimo affirmed that Wakayama values and wishes to further expand cooperation with Vietnam, continue to play a bridging role, and promote connections between Wakayama and Vietnamese localities and businesses, while supporting the Vietnamese community in the province, thereby contributing to the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan.

Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung affirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to accompany Wakayama Prefecture and Vietnamese localities to develop Vietnam's cooperation with Wakayama specifically and Japanese localities in general in a more substantive and effective manner in the future.