Vietnam and Solomon Islands agreed to strengthen coordination and support each other at regional and international forums.

On the afternoon of November 11, at the Government headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka on the occasion of the Minister's official visit to Vietnam from November 11-13.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka. (Source: Nhan Dan Newspaper)

At the meeting, the Prime Minister conveyed the regards of General Secretary To Lam and Vietnamese leaders to senior Solomon Islands leaders; welcomed Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka on his first official visit to Vietnam, which was also the highest-ranking official visit between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1996; and expressed his belief that the Minister's visit would be a good starting point, bringing the bilateral relationship into a new, more vibrant and substantive phase.

Recalling the positive results of the exchange during his meeting with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele on June 9 on the sidelines of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) in Nice (France), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that the two sides increase the exchange of high-level visits and other levels, establish a consultation mechanism between relevant ministries and sectors and people-to-people exchanges to enhance mutual understanding.

In that spirit, the Prime Minister welcomed Prime Minister Solomon's plan to visit Vietnam in the near future.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the two countries need to strengthen cooperation in trade, education, health care, transport infrastructure, and encourage businesses of both countries to expand investment in areas of mutual interest and strength such as agriculture, maritime and fisheries cooperation, and renewable energy.

Representatives of leaders of ministries, departments and branches of the Vietnamese Government attended the reception. (Source: Nhan Dan Newspaper)

The Prime Minister said he will direct relevant Vietnamese agencies to soon send a delegation to explore cooperation opportunities in Solomon, especially investing in fishing facilities, on-site processing and exporting seafood in Solomon.

The Prime Minister also proposed that the two sides sign agreements to facilitate travel between people of the two countries, including an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders; and promote more convenient connecting flights between Vietnam and the South Pacific island countries.

Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka respectfully conveyed the Solomon Prime Minister's regards to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; expressed his deep impression and gratitude for the warm and thoughtful welcome that Vietnam gave to the Minister and his delegation right from the moment they arrived in Vietnam.

The Minister said that Solomon values ​​Vietnam's role and position in the Asia-Pacific region, emphasizing that Vietnam is a resilient nation that has overcome many difficulties to become one of the countries with the highest growth rate today.

Members accompanied Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka at the reception. (Source: Nhan Dan Newspaper)

Minister Agovaka said that Vietnam and Solomon Islands have many things in common and can share, learn from, support and assist each other in the development process.

Minister Agovaka highly appreciated the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Cooperation Framework between the Governments of Vietnam and Solomon Islands during this visit, considering it an important foundation for the two countries to develop cooperation in potential fields.

Minister Agovaka proposed that Vietnam support Solomon in training and developing human resources and techniques for fisheries and agriculture; wished to import rice and raw materials from Vietnam; and affirmed that it would create favorable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to invest in potential projects in Solomon.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Solomon Islands Foreign Minister agreed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums, especially at the United Nations, and jointly contribute to effective and substantive cooperation between ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) for the sustainable development of the region.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/viet-nam-va-solomon-nhat-tri-tang-cuong-phoi-hop-ung-ho-nhau-tai-cac-dien-dan-khu-vuc-quoc-te-334068.html