Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson. (Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac)
Vietnam and Sweden, two countries far apart geographically but very close emotionally. It was in the capital Stockholm, nearly 60 years ago, on a cold winter evening in 1968, the late Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, then Ministerof Education , held a torch to lead a march against the war in Vietnam. That torch lit up the very special friendship and cooperation between the two countries as loyal, close, and affectionate friends.
The official visit to Sweden by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation is truly a bridge from the past to the present and towards the future of the relationship between the two countries, bringing the warm feelings of the Vietnamese people to Swedish friends. Going back in time, in 1969, when Vietnam's struggle for independence and national reunification was at its fiercest, Sweden was the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, causing a shock to the world. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was moved to assess that this was not an easy decision but one full of courage, justice and conscience - a milestone that made history.
n, forums or policy speeches at universities in Sweden, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh always mentioned the late Prime Minister Olof Palme - a great friend of the Vietnamese people, the one who laid the foundation for the friendly relations between the two countries, the leader who persistently fought for peace, development, friendship and equal cooperation among peoples in the world. The Prime Minister affirmed that in the memory of many Vietnamese people, Sweden is a living symbol of humanity, sincere and righteous help.
Sweden is also the country that provided the earliest and largest non-refundable aid to Vietnam, making important contributions to the country's reconstruction after long years of war. Projects such as the Swedish Children's Hospital, the Vietnam-Sweden Uong Bi Hospital, and the Bai Bang Paper Factory have become symbols of the humanity of Sweden that cannot be forgotten in the hearts of the Vietnamese people. The people of the two countries are also connected by intellectual and cultural values; the Vietnamese people always admire Sweden with the Nobel Prize and the band ABBA with the song "Happy New Year" by ABBA, a timeless message of connection.
The Prime Minister also expressed that, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, the Vietnamese people were very moved to receive the documentary film “Victory Vietnam” presented by Swedish friends, vividly recreating those historical moments - touching the entire Vietnamese people and millions of hearts of peace-loving people around the world. The song “Tien Quan Ca” in Swedish is a powerful testament to the strong solidarity between the two countries and peoples.
After nearly 60 years of companionship, cooperation and development, the Vietnam-Sweden relationship has always demonstrated steadfast and steadfast solidarity, associated with trust and action, for the benefit of the two nations and peoples.
After nearly 60 years of companionship, cooperation and development, the Vietnam-Sweden relationship has always demonstrated a steadfast and steadfast solidarity, linked with trust and action, for the benefit of the two nations and peoples. Not only the late Prime Minister Olof Palme but also many Swedes have attached their feelings and devoted their efforts to helping Vietnam as if it were their "second home". Not outside the flow of the times, Vietnam and Sweden are facing a historic opportunity to rise up and affirm their roles as leading economies in the region, to elevate the level of friendship and sustainable cooperation, with mutual benefits in the spirit of "glorious past, bright future", contributing to peace, cooperation and development of the region and the world.
With that good foundation, the talks between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson took place in the spirit of mutual understanding, sincerity, trust; successful in many aspects. The Prime Minister said that Sweden and Vietnam are two economies that can support each other as Sweden has strengths in technology, innovation, digital transformation, Vietnam has a labor force, a market of more than 100 million people and is the gateway to a dynamic ASEAN market. The most notable point is that the two leaders agreed to upgrade the relationship to a Sectoral Strategic Partnership in the fields of science and technology, innovation, high technology, nuclear energy, semiconductors, green transformation, digital transformation, enhancing training of high-quality human resources... thereby supporting Vietnam to "keep up, progress together, rise up" to lead in the global game.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the Vietnam-Sweden Economic Forum. (Photo: VNA)
At the Vietnam-Sweden Business Forum with the theme "Green transformation, digital transformation, innovation", businesses agreed that the two countries still have a lot of potential for cooperation in the fields of science, technology, innovation, telecommunications, green economy, digital and circular economy, education, training, healthcare, infrastructure development, renewable energy, nuclear energy, defense industry, etc. Swedish Minister of International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa affirmed that in the context of many changes in the world today, Vietnam and Sweden have new opportunities and must promote cooperation in all fields. The Minister said that Sweden has high-quality human resources, many large enterprises in most fields, with high technology, clean technology, good services and a network, connecting worldwide, so it has the potential and ability to cooperate well with Vietnam for mutual development.
For his part, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh pointed out that the current task of the two countries is to promote traditions and fundamental values, draw lessons, overcome limitations, and be more determined and stronger, bringing the Vietnam-Sweden relationship into a new stage of development. The Prime Minister emphasized the need to inspire and motivate businesses and the two governments to renew existing motivations and promote new ones; there is still a lot of room for cooperation, so businesses of the two countries must take the lead in exploiting it; expecting a new, strong wave of investment from Swedish corporations and businesses in Vietnam in the near future.
With the tradition of the Vietnamese people always valuing affection, loyalty, and never forgetting the help of the Swedish Government and people, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife visited the family of the late Prime Minister Olof Palme. We were truly moved to witness the late Prime Minister's three sons warmly and sincerely welcoming the Prime Minister and his delegation at their simple and cozy apartment in Stockholm.
The Prime Minister and everyone took a moment to remember the late Prime Minister Olof Palme and his wife; and reviewed the images and memorabilia of the late Prime Minister, including a photo of him holding a torch to march against the war and in support of Vietnam. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed that all Vietnamese people know his name, and when talking about Sweden, they are talking about Olof Palme; emphasizing that it was the action of a person who loved peace and freedom, a strong support, a great source of encouragement and motivation, and has entered a part of the subconscious, of Vietnam's history, and entered the hearts of the Vietnamese people...
A Swedish proverb says: “Friendship is doubling your joys and dividing your sorrows”. Looking to the future, we firmly believe that the pure, trusting and loyal friendship between the people of Vietnam and Sweden will continue to be a solid foundation, contributing to elevating the relationship between the two countries to become a model of friendly cooperation for peace, democracy, social progress and prosperous development.
Ha Thanh Giang - Nhandan.vn
Source: https://nhandan.vn/sang-mai-ngon-duoc-tinh-huu-nghi-thuy-chung-post886774.html
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