Both Vietnam and Türkiye pin high hope on Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit that it will create a new impetus for bilateral relations to grow more strongly and comprehensively, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Türkiye Do Son Hai.
To intensify the two countries’ relations, PM Chinh, his spouse, and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam are paying an official visit to Türkiye.
Granting an interview to the Vietnam News Agency, Hai said bilateral ties have undergone 45 years of development and enjoyed positive changes.
In terms of politics, they have organised more mutual visits and talks at higher levels, typically this visit by PM Chinh which is the first trip to Türkiye by a Vietnamese PM.
The two countries have given mutual assistance in trying times, he said, elaborating that during the COVID-19 pandemic, they made timely donations of medical supplies and vaccines to each other.
Particularly, after the deadly earthquakes in early February 2023 that took a heavy toll on Türkiye, the Vietnamese Government and people deployed two rescue teams and presented medical supplies to help the country address disaster consequences. These were the first rescue teams of Vietnam sent abroad so far, he noted.
In terms of economy, the ambassador continued, bilateral trade has improved after the pandemic, increasing 26.3% from 2021 to over 2 billion USD last year. Vietnam is currently the second biggest partner of Türkiye among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), after Malaysia.
They have also worked actively to explore cooperation opportunities in the fields of defence and security. Many Turkish businesses have voiced their wish to learn about investment chances in Vietnam, he said.
Hai affirmed that the Vietnam - Türkiye relations have recorded relatively positive and meaningful strides over the recent past. However, there remains much room for both sides to enhance bilateral partnerships in all areas.
Given this, the countries have high expectations for PM Chinh’s visit, which not only demonstrates their resolve to promote all-round connections and mutual trust but is also hoped to create a new impetus for their relations to make breakthrough and develop faster, more strongly and comprehensively. They expect the trip will be an occasion for them to have high-level discussions on cooperation orientations for the time ahead, according to the diplomat.
Hai added that the official visit holds great significance also because the two countries are organising various activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2023. Therefore, it is also expected to mark a new milestone in their relations. Its outcomes will create prerequisites for cooperation to reach a new height.
Aside from discussing major cooperation directions, leaders of Vietnam and Türkiye will also look into some concrete cooperation activities such as the partnership between the two national flag carriers, Vietnam Airlines and Turkish Airlines, and the collaboration between the countries’ agriculture ministries and trade ministries.
Activities of ministries and sectors during the visit will also be good chances for the two sides to gain a better understanding about each other and form the basis for future ties, he remarked.
