Vietnam - Finland upgrade relations to Strategic Partnership

VTV.vn - Vietnam and Finland have issued a Joint Statement on the two sides officially upgrading the Vietnam - Finland relationship to a Strategic Partnership.

On the morning of October 21, in the capital Helsinki, the welcoming ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation on their official visit to Finland was solemnly held at the Presidential Palace. President Alexander Stubb presided over the welcoming ceremony.

President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb and his wife hosted the official welcoming ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly, along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation. Photo: VNA

Finnish President Alexander Stubb affirmed that the visit was an important milestone in the history of bilateral relations and emphasized that in the context of many fluctuations in the world, the bilateral relationship continues to develop strongly. Appreciating the first official visit of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to Finland since the two countries established diplomatic relations, the President affirmed that Finland always attaches importance to developing relations with Vietnam, emphasizing that Vietnam is Finland's largest trade partner in Southeast Asia. The President also admired the socio-economic development achievements in recent years, considering this a "success story" and expressed his hope that through the visit, the two countries will have important steps to develop cooperation in many areas with great potential.

Expressing his pleasure in visiting the beautiful and hospitable country of Finland and meeting the President of Finland again, General Secretary To Lam congratulated Finland on its outstanding achievements in socio-economic development, as well as Finland's positive contributions to peace, cooperation and development in the world. General Secretary To Lam affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to the traditional friendship with Finland; remembers Finland's support for Vietnam in the country's reconstruction and development and expressed his wish that Finland will continue to be a partner and a reliable companion in the new era of development of Vietnam. General Secretary To Lam also conveyed the greetings of Vietnam's senior leaders and an invitation to visit Vietnam to President Alexander Stubb.

General Secretary To Lam holds talks with President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb. Photo: VNA

During the talks, the two leaders informed each other about the development situation of each country. They expressed their delight at the positive development in bilateral relations in recent times. General Secretary To Lam and President Alexander Stubb exchanged major strategic orientations, thereby bringing the bilateral relationship to develop strongly in line with its current stature. Accordingly, the two sides agreed to promote cooperation in many fields, especially in areas that both sides need to promote development in the coming time such as information technology, forestry, circular economy, green transformation, cooperation in sustainable development of the sea, science and technology...

The two sides agreed to effectively exploit the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement and the Investment Protection Agreement between Vietnam and the European Union (EVIPA), thereby creating favorable conditions for both sides to promote and seek cooperation opportunities, especially in the fields of agricultural products, consumer goods, etc. General Secretary To Lam also emphasized that Vietnam always welcomes and creates favorable conditions for Finnish enterprises to invest in Vietnam and is ready to work with Finland to act as a bridge to access the EU - ASEAN market and promote stronger development of Vietnam - EU and Finland - ASEAN cooperation in the coming time. General Secretary To Lam also asked Finland to speak up to urge the remaining 7 EU member countries to soon ratify the Vietnam - EU Investment Protection Agreement as well as urge the European Commission to soon remove the yellow card for Vietnamese seafood exports.

President Alexander Stubb affirmed that Finland is ready to cooperate with Vietnam in areas where Finland has strengths and Vietnam has needs such as circular economy, science and technology, education and training, climate change response... through actively reviewing and promoting the implementation of high-level agreements, accelerating the implementation and removing obstacles in major projects between the two countries. The two sides also agreed on major orientations in implementing measures to promote cooperation in other areas such as education and training, local cooperation, and people-to-people exchange, thereby meeting the needs and aspirations of the people of the two countries.

General Secretary To Lam at the talks. Photo: VNA

In response to the Finnish President's appreciation for the integration and contributions of the Vietnamese community in the host country, General Secretary To Lam thanked the State and people of Finland for always paying attention and supporting the Vietnamese community in Finland to live, study and work stably. He hoped that Finland would continue to pay attention and create more favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to continue integrating and contributing effectively to the host society, serving as an important bridge to promote friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Regarding regional and international issues, including those related to security, the two sides emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world; supported the stance of resolving disputes by peaceful means, on the basis of respecting international law, restraint and ending conflicts.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the two sides support ASEAN's common stance in resolving disputes by peaceful means, on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, making a positive contribution to peace and stability in the region and the world.

President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb at the talks. VNA

On this occasion, Vietnam and Finland issued a Joint Statement on the two sides officially upgrading the Vietnam - Finland relationship to a Strategic Partnership, highly appreciating the important achievements of the bilateral relationship, affirming the principles, setting out major orientations to promote and strengthen cooperation, develop the traditional friendship and the Vietnam - Finland Strategic Partnership, for the long-term interests of the two peoples, for peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development in each region and in the world.

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam and President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb witnessed the signing ceremony of bilateral cooperation documents between Vietnam and Finland.

Accordingly, the cooperation documents include: Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral cooperation in the field of environment, biodiversity and climate change between the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Vietnam and the Ministry of Environment of Finland.

Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland on supporting and promoting the preparation and implementation of projects funded under the Finnish Public Investment Programme.

Source: https://vtv.vn/viet-nam-phan-lan-nang-cap-quan-he-len-doi-tac-chien-luoc-100251021184904274.htm