According to Ambassador Ha Hoang Hai, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh 's visit to Poland is of great significance for promoting bilateral relations in the future.
At the invitation of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh and a high-level Vietnamese delegation paid an official visit to Poland from January 16-18, 2025, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
On this occasion, according to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Central and Eastern Europe, the Vietnamese Ambassador to Poland, Ha Hoang Hai, gave an interview to the press.
Ambassador, could you please explain the significance of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Poland for Vietnam-Poland relations, especially in the context of this year's celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries?
Ambassador Ha Hoang Hai: The visit is of great significance for promoting bilateral relations in the coming period; it is an opportunity for high-ranking leaders of Vietnam and Poland to meet and exchange views directly on important issues, thereby building trust and mutual understanding, and demonstrating commitment to maintaining and developing a long-term and sustainable relationship.
The visit takes place against a backdrop of rapidly evolving, complex, and unpredictable international politics. Many hotspots around the world risk escalating, impacting regional and international peace and stability, and directly affecting Vietnam and Poland.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit continues the dynamic and active foreign policy activities of the Party and State leaders in recent times, affirming Vietnam's independent, self-reliant, multilateral, and diversified foreign policy, as a friend, a reliable partner, and a responsible member of the international community. The visit also demonstrates Vietnam's high regard for its long-standing friendly relations with traditional friends in Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland.
The visit is all the more significant as, starting January 1, 2025, Poland will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), a position and role that is increasingly important within the EU. Meanwhile, Vietnam and the EU are also celebrating 35 years of diplomatic relations, aiming to upgrade their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. The Prime Minister's visit to Poland contributes to promoting Poland's role within the EU, thereby strengthening cooperation between Vietnam and Poland in particular, and Vietnam and the EU in general.
It can be said that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Poland is of great significance, contributing to increased political trust, promoting and bringing traditional areas of cooperation such as economics, trade, labor, culture, education, and human resource training to a new stage, meeting the development requirements of each country; promoting cooperation in potential and strong areas such as science and technology, information and communication, pharmaceuticals, and innovation. The visit contributes to promoting the two countries towards upgrading diplomatic relations.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit also provides an opportunity for Vietnam and Poland to strengthen cooperation aimed at connecting Vietnam with Central and Eastern Europe and between Poland and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), coordinating closely in addressing global issues to contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
- Ambassador, could you highlight some of the key aspects of the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Poland over the past 75 years?
Ambassador Ha Hoang Hai: As we know, Poland recognized and established diplomatic relations with Vietnam very early on, on February 4, 1950. The Polish people have always held fond feelings for the country and people of Vietnam. Poland actively supported Vietnam in its wars of national liberation. Poland was the only country to send thousands of officers to participate in both armistice committees after the Geneva Accords in 1954 and the Paris Agreement in 1973.
Poland also helped train thousands of Vietnamese officials and engineers to build the country in peacetime. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries supported each other through shipments of face masks from Vietnam to Poland and millions of doses of valuable COVID-19 vaccines donated from Warsaw to Hanoi. Following this, the Polish government provided assistance to Vietnamese people in need, helping them evacuate from Ukraine. These acts of mutual support during times of hardship demonstrate that the two countries are sincere partners and support each other.
In terms of economics and trade, Poland is currently Vietnam's number one trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe, while Vietnam is Poland's seventh largest trading partner outside the EU. Vietnamese consumers can now easily access Polish agricultural products and food at supermarkets.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese textiles, confectionery, food, agricultural products, etc., are also familiar to Polish people. In addition, an important area of cooperation in Vietnam-Poland relations is education and training.
From the 1960s to the early 1990s, Poland trained over 4,000 students and scientists, and over 3,500 skilled workers, mainly in the coal and shipbuilding industries for Vietnam. Currently, the Polish government still provides 20 scholarships annually for Vietnamese students and plans to increase this number in the future.
The Vietnamese community in Poland currently numbers around 30,000 people. They have made many notable contributions, actively integrating into Polish society and significantly contributing to maintaining and developing traditional, friendly, and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries. They are positively regarded by the Polish government and are considered a prime example of a successful immigrant community in Poland.
- Ambassador, what should the two countries do to leverage their respective potentials and strengths in order to further enhance bilateral relations?
Ambassador Ha Hoang Hai: Vietnam and Poland are both dynamic developing countries in the region, with increasingly important roles and positions. Both countries have long-term development orientations and visions with their own specific goals. Therefore, to maximize the potential and strengths of each country, both sides need to strengthen exchanges of delegations at all levels, enhance the effectiveness of consultation mechanisms, and strengthen coordination between specialized agencies of both sides to better understand each other's needs and goals. This will allow them to select areas where both sides have priorities and strengths, contributing to mutual support for development. Some developing areas with significant potential for cooperation between the two countries include tourism, science and technology cooperation, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy.
Regarding tourism, both sides need to consider re-establishing direct flights to serve the needs of people in both countries, as well as to boost attracting Polish tourists to visit Vietnam. In the labor sector, this is an area of cooperation with significant potential; Vietnamese workers are suitable and well-received in the Polish labor market. Therefore, relevant authorities from both sides should promptly sign labor agreements and promote the official supply of labor from Vietnam to Poland.
- This year, Vietnam and Poland celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Ambassador, could you share some of the outstanding plans and activities that the two countries have been implementing to promote people-to-people exchanges and strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples?
Ambassador Ha Hoang Hai: To prepare for this year's special event, starting in late 2024, the Vietnamese Embassy in Poland, in collaboration with the Polish Embassy in Hanoi, organized a logo design competition to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The competition attracted 350 entries from both Polish and Vietnamese artists. The two embassies selected a high-quality logo that is meaningful in celebrating this significant milestone in Vietnam-Poland relations.
An art exhibition is scheduled to take place at the end of January 2025 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Following the visit of the Prime Minister and the high-level Vietnamese delegation to Poland, the Vietnamese Embassy in Poland will coordinate with the Polish Embassy in Hanoi and relevant agencies of both countries to thoroughly understand and implement the contents agreed upon by the leaders of both sides, actively cooperating to make the Vietnam-Poland cooperation increasingly effective, for the benefit of the people of both countries.
Reporter: Thank you very much, Ambassador.
Source
Comment (0)