Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Sonheld phone talks with his German counterpart Heiko Maas on May 25, during which he affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to further promoting and deepening the strategicpartnership with Germany.
Both sides expressed their delight at the strong,comprehensive, and effective development of bilateral ties since theestablishment of a strategic partnership a decade ago.
Agreeing on measures to enhanceeconomic-trade-investment, science-technology, renewable energy, vocationaltraining, and medical cooperation, the two vowed to soon build the Vietnam - Germanystrategic action plan for the 2022-2023 period, with a focus on the exchange ofhigh-level visits, boosting dialogue mechanisms and collaboration.
Maas spoke highly of Vietnam’s efforts to containCOVID-19 and the close cooperation between the two countries to address the crisis.
Son congratulated Germany on its importantachievements in vaccine roll-out and pandemic control. He thanked the country andthe EU for providing vaccines to Vietnam via the COVAX facility.
He suggested Germany facilitate Vietnam’s access tovaccines and vaccine production technology, as the latter is expanding itsvaccination programme to achieve the dual goal of fighting the pandemic andrestoring the economy.
The German minister hailed Vietnam’s role and positionin realising Germany’s policy guidelines for the Indo-Pacific to boostbilateral links in economy, trade-investment, sustainable development, andnational defence-security.
The Vietnamese minister heralded Germany’s active andconstructive role in the region and thanked it for actively supporting Vietnam -EU cooperation, especially in stepping up the signing and ratification of theEU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. He also proposed the German Government andlegislature accelerate the approval of the EU-Vietnam Investment ProtectionAgreement.
The two sides highly appreciated their close liaisonand mutual support at multilateral forums, especially in 2020 when the two servedas non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Vietnamundertook the role of ASEAN Chair and Germany was rotating President of the EUin the second half of the year.
On regional and global issues, they upheld compliancewith international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,for the sake of peace and stability in the region and the world.
They spotlighted ASEAN’s central role and supportedthe promotion of dialogue and efforts to seek sustainable solutions for peace inMyanmar./.
