Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính met with Japanese Defence Minister Kishi Nobuo on Sunday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Party, State, Government and people of Việt Nam place Japan as one of the partners of top importance which enjoys a high trust in the country’s foreign policy, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính told visiting Japanese Defence Minister Kishi Nobuo in Hà Nội on Sunday.

The PM also affirmed to facilitate the development of the bilateral national defence co-operation, and said Việt Nam welcomed Japan’s active contributions to and supported its greater role in maintaining peace, stability and development in the region and the world as a whole.

He thanked Japan for providing Việt Nam with over 3 million doses of vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitating Vietnamese working and living in Japan, and asked the country to help Việt Nam with vaccines.

PM Chính asked the Japanese side to continue providing Việt Nam with new ODA projects, and pledged Việt Nam would continue creating a transparent and favourable environment for investment by foreign countries, including Japanese ones.

The Japanese minister spoke highly of the Việt Nam Government’s efforts in the fight against the pandemic and affirmed he would ask relevant authorities to continue the vaccine assistance to Việt Nam.

Japan would continue co-operating with Việt Nam in the field of Việt Nam’s priority, he said.

The two spoke highly of the outcomes of the co-operation between the two countries in various fields and affirmed to continue pushing the development of the intensive and extensive strategic partnership between the two countries, thus helping ensure peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

They exchanged ideas on international and regional issues. On those on the sea, including the East Sea and the East China Sea, PM Chính affirmed Việt Nam’s viewpoint of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation, settling disputes and differences in the sea by peaceful measures on the basis of respect to international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982.

Việt Nam supported the process of peace and denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, while the Japanese side affirmed support to ASEAN efforts on the issue of Myanmar. — VNS