Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng (right) had talks with visiting Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Hà Nội on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng hosted a reception for visiting Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Hà Nội on Monday.

The Vietnamese Party leader congratulated Sakellaropoulou on becoming the first female president of Greece, and thanked the Greek people for their valuable support for Việt Nam’s struggle for independence in the past as well as the current national construction, especially in COVID-19 prevention and control.

He highly valued the outcomes of the Greek leader’s visit, especially the results of the talks between President Sakellaropoulou and her Vietnamese counterpart Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. He expressed his belief that the visit is a milestone in the development of bilateral ties.

The Party leader affirmed that Việt Nam attached much importance to its traditional friendship with Greece and was delighted at the important progress in bilateral ties. He gave a number of proposals to promote the partnership in all fields, and suggested Greece continue to support the Vietnamese community in the country.

He briefed the guest on major achievements and development goals of Việt Nam towards the middle of the 21st century, as well as Việt Nam’s success in controlling COVID-19, ensuring social welfare, speeding up post-pandemic recovery and development. He also stressed the country’s external policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralisation, and diversification of relations.

For her part, President Sakellaropoulou expressed her strong impression of the history and culture of Việt Nam, highlighting the similarities between the two nations, and affirming that Greece highly regards the position of Việt Nam in the region and the world. She briefed her host on the important outcomes of her talks with President Phúc, notably measures to expand cooperation between the two countries.

She agreed with the Vietnamese Party leader’s suggestions on orientations for the future development of bilateral ties, and showed pleasure at the growth of the cooperation between the two countries. She also underlined the potential of bilateral collaboration in all fields, including trade, shipbuilding, maritime transport, and tourism.

The two leaders also agreed to further bolster bilateral political relations and strengthen coordination and mutual support at international forums. They affirmed the significance of maintaining peace, development and cooperation, and respect for international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in waters. — VNS