At the talks, in an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding,President Vo Van Thuong and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed major directions and measures to further deepen the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership, as well as shared regional and international issues of mutual concern.
The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the strong development of Vietnam-Germany relations over the past five decades, especially since the two countries established a strategic partnership. Political trust between the two countries has been increasingly consolidated through the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially at high levels, and close coordination at multilateral forums. For many years, Germany has always been Vietnam's leading economic partner in Europe and Vietnam is currently one of Germany's largest trading partners in Southeast Asia. Bilateral trade turnover in 2023 will reach approximately 12 billion USD, a three-fold increase over the past 10 years. Germany is the fourth largest investor among EU countries investing in Vietnam.
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President Vo Van Thuong speaks at the talks. Photo: TUAN HUY |
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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaks at the talks. Photo: TUAN HUY |
In order to promote the foundation of good relations and great potential for cooperation between Vietnam and Germany, the two sides agreed to further strengthen political trust through delegation exchanges, high-level and all-level contacts, effectively deploy bilateral cooperation mechanisms including strategic dialogue, Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation, Government consultation on development cooperation, dialogue on the rule of law, and coordinate to effectively implement the Vietnam-Germany Strategic Action Plan for the period 2023-2025.
The two leaders were pleased to see that the bilateral cooperation in education and training has achieved many positive results, especially the Vietnam-Germany University, a symbolic project of the bilateral relationship, which is operating effectively. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier hopes that the two sides will continue to coordinate closely so that the Vietnam-Germany University can develop successfully, especially attracting more and more Vietnamese students. President Vo Van Thuong asked Germany to continue supporting the training of high-quality human resources for Vietnam, supporting the expansion of the Vietnam-Germany University and improving its operational efficiency.
In the economic field, the two sides agreed to continue to fully and effectively implement the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), facilitating each country's key products to access each other's markets. The German President affirmed that Vietnam is a reliable economic partner and wishes to promote economic cooperation with Vietnam, especially in investment. President Vo Van Thuong asked Germany to soon complete the procedures for ratifying the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and urge the European Commission (EC) to soon remove the IUU yellow card for Vietnamese seafood.
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President Vo Van Thuong and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation at the talks. Photo: TUAN HUY |
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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the high-ranking German delegation at the talks. Photo: TUAN HUY |
President Vo Van Thuong thanked Germany for its support to Vietnam in the field of development cooperation over the past three decades, making positive contributions to Vietnam's socio-economic development, and suggested that Germany continue to provide ODA to Vietnam in the fields of energy, environment and vocational training. Regarding climate change response, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier affirmed that Germany is ready to support Vietnam in terms of technology, experts and finance in implementing the JETP framework to contribute to the implementation of the commitments to reduce emissions to zero by 2050 that Vietnam made at the COP26 Conference.
The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of defense, security, science and technology, justice, and agriculture; promote cultural exchange activities, thereby contributing to enhancing understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries, practically celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Germany diplomatic relations in 2025.
President Vo Van Thuong hopes that Germany will continue to care for and create conditions for the Vietnamese community in Germany to settle down and continue to be a bridge, making positive contributions to the friendly relations between the two countries. The German President affirmed that the 200,000-strong Vietnamese community in Germany has successfully integrated and made positive contributions to the local society.
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View of the meeting. Photo: TUAN HUY |
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President Vo Van Thuong and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier witnessed the signing ceremony and exchange of cooperation documents between Vietnam and Germany. Photo: TUAN HUY |
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President Vo Van Thuong and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a joint press conference after their talks. Photo: TUAN HUY |
On the international front, the two countries agreed to coordinate and support each other at regional and multilateral forums such as the ASEAN-Germany cooperation framework, ASEAN-EU, and the United Nations. Regarding the East Sea issue, the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, resolving disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and supporting the substantive and effective COC negotiation process between ASEAN and China.
After the talks, President Vo Van Thuong and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier witnessed the signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement on labor migration between the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Germany.
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