Vietnam's special position in Finland's foreign policy

Over the 51 years of establishing diplomatic relations, the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Finland have been maintained and developed well.

At the invitation of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Jussi Halla-aho will pay an official visit to Vietnam from March 24-26. On this occasion, Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee Don Tuan Phong gave an interview to the press to assess the relationship between the two countries in recent times, as well as share the significance of the visit.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Anu Vehvilainen during an official visit to Finland, September 2021. (Source: VNA)

Could you please assess the context and significance of the visit to Vietnam by Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Jussi Halla-aho? This is the first visit by Speaker of the Parliament Jussi Halla-aho outside of Europe since he took office and only visits Vietnam, not combined with visits to other countries; it is a reciprocal visit to the visit of Speaker of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue to Finland in 2021 when the Covid-19 pandemic was very tense. This shows the special position of Vietnam in Finland's foreign policy, as well as the good friendship between the legislatures of the two countries. The visit is also a high-level delegation exchange activity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Finland and Vietnam (1973-2023). We welcome the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament to implement the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralization of foreign relations of the 13th National Party Congress and Resolution No. 34-NQ/TW dated January 9, 2023 of the Politburo on a number of major orientations and policies to implement the foreign policy of the 13th National Party Congress; affirming Vietnam's consistent policy of always attaching importance to the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Finland, wishing to deepen the trust between the two countries in all fields. At the same time, we wish to further promote cooperation between the two countries' legislatures, making bilateral parliamentary cooperation increasingly effective and substantive; creating momentum to expand cooperation between the two countries in many other fields, especially improving the effectiveness of economic cooperation between the two countries; Strengthen and consolidate cooperation at multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union... Can you assess the overall relationship between the two countries, especially cooperation on the Parliament/Congress channel in recent times? Over the past 51 years of establishing diplomatic relations, the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and Finland have been maintained and developed well. Finland has always given Vietnam valuable attention and assistance. Finland has continuously provided non-refundable aid to Vietnam since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Many Finnish support projects have been very effective, such as afforestation projects or clean water projects in Hanoi... Economic - trade - investment cooperation is a top priority in the relationship between Vietnam and Finland. In recent years, trade turnover between the two countries has continuously increased, reaching nearly 380 million USD in 2023. However, this is still a modest number, especially in the context of the Vietnam-European Union Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) taking effect from 2020. In terms of investment, Finland currently ranks 58/140 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 35 projects still in effect, with a total capital of over 47 million USD. This investment level is still modest compared to Finland's economic potential and strengths. Therefore, through this visit, Vietnamese leaders will discuss with their counterparts measures to further strengthen economic, trade and investment cooperation. First of all, soon increase the trade turnover of the two countries to a higher level and increase Finnish investment in Vietnam, attract Finnish businesses to Vietnam, especially in areas where Finland has strengths and Vietnam has demand such as: high technology, digital transformation, education-training, component manufacturing. In the field of education and training, this is a very potential field between the two countries. Currently, there are about 2,500 Vietnamese students studying in different programs in Finland, mainly on a self-funded basis. This visit is a very important opportunity for the two sides to exchange views to strengthen cooperation in this field. This is also an opportunity for the Party and State leaders to thank the host country for its attention and facilitation for the Vietnamese community in Finland (about 12,000 people); propose to continue to create conditions for the community to integrate more deeply and contribute to the socio-economic development of Finland as well as the relationship between the two countries. Vietnam and Finland have a tradition of very close coordination and mutual support. The cooperative relationship between the two countries' National Assemblies has been well maintained through the exchange of high-level delegations and agencies of the National Assembly. The President of the Finnish Parliament visited Vietnam in 2010, and President of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue visited Finland in September 2021. Within the framework of multilateral cooperation, the two sides maintain contact, coordination and mutual support at regional and international parliamentary forums such as IPU and ASEP. This visit by Speaker of the National Assembly Jussi Halla-aho will contribute to consolidating and further promoting the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Finland, including the legislatures of the two countries. During this visit, Speaker of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and Speaker of the Finnish Parliament will discuss measures to enhance cooperation between the two legislatures, especially in exchanging experiences in legislation, supreme supervision and deciding on important national issues. This will create conditions for bilateral cooperation in all areas, especially economics, trade, investment, science, education and training, etc. I think that one of the important measures in the cooperation between the two countries' parliaments is the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially at the high level. Along with that, the exchange of delegations at the level of friendship parliamentary groups and committees of the two National Assemblies is also very important to enhance understanding, share experiences, exchange and learn from each other and coordinate at multilateral parliamentary forums. We also hope that through this high-level visit, the coordination and mutual support between the two countries at international forums, including international parliamentary forums, will become increasingly closer. Thank you!

(according to VNA)

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