Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Canada’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Marta Morgan co-chaired the second Vietnam - Canada political consultation at the deputy foreign ministerial level on July 9.

Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (L) and Canada’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Marta Morgan co-host the 2nd Vietnam - Canada political consultation  

Both sides noted appreciation for the strong development of bilateral ties, especially after they set up a comprehensive partnership in 2017 and began carrying out the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

They consented to go ahead with maintaining delegation exchange at all levels in flexible forms, in which the Canadian side affirmed that it will attend the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and relevant meetings slated to transpire from July 31 to August 5.

The two diplomats agreed to further enhance their economic, trade, and investment ties and to capitalize on opportunities from the trend towards trade diversification and differing supply chains after COVID-19, and in the context of Vietnam being Canada’s largest trade partner in ASEAN and Canada being Vietnam’s third-largest trade partner in North America.

They assured their willingness to step up stronger cooperation in security and defence, health, education and training, climate change response, clean energy development, and relations between the countries’ localities.

In the context of the increasingly complicated and unforeseeable developments of the COVID-19, the two sides concurred to intensify the sharing of information and to offer the best possible conditions for the citizens of their respective nation to repatriate safely if stranded in the other.

The Canadian official thanked Vietnam for arranging a flight to bring stranded Canadians home, saying her country also supported Vietnam in organising three repatriation flights for Vietnamese citizens.

The Vietnamese Deputy FM suggested Canada continue licensing flights bringing Vietnamese citizens home and support citizens, especially students, who remain in the country.

With regard to multilateral cooperation, Morgan greatly valued the role of Vietnam as ASEAN Chair 2020, expressing a desire to become actively involved in regional institutions, including the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM) and the East Asia Summit (EAS).

The two sides pledged to work hand in hand at international and regional forums this year, as Vietnam undertakes its roles of both the ASEAN Chairmanship and non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term.

 During the meeting, they also compared notes on regional and international issues of shared concern, including those pertaining to the East Sea.