President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc had a meeting with visiting New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Hà Nội on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc received visiting New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Hà Nội on Monday.

Welcoming the guest, President Phúc expressed his belief that the first Việt Nam visit by Ardern, taking place from November 14-17, would make an important contribution to promoting the Strategic Partnership between the two nations.

He congratulated New Zealand on its post-pandemic recovery, which he said helped affirm its role and position in the region and the world at large.

The President took the occasion to thank New Zealand for its COVID-19 vaccine donations and financial support as well as continued provision of non-refundable aid to Việt Nam, saying they helped the country to recover from the pandemic.

Ardern expressed her joy at the strong development of bilateral ties, especially the upgrading of the relationship to a Strategic Partnership in 2020. She affirmed that New Zealand always attached importance to consolidating and developing relations with Việt Nam, a strategic partner of her country in ASEAN and the region.

Appreciating the outcomes of talks between Ardern and her Vietnamese counterpart Phạm Minh Chính, President Phúc suggested that the New Zealand PM pay attention to promoting cooperation between the two countries in the new situation, especially in the exchange of delegations and implementation of bilateral mechanisms.

The two sides should accelerate the implementation of the Action Plan to realise their strategic partnership for the 2021-2024 period; strengthen education-training cooperation, locality-to-locality connections and people-to-people exchanges, soon reopen seasonal direct flights, and support each other to improve the quality of agricultural products for export, he said.

Ardern affirmed that she would work closely with the Government and relevant agencies of Việt Nam to develop the two countries' Strategic Partnership in a deeper and more substantive and effective manner. She pledged to continue support for Việt Nam to improve the quality of some fruits for better access to international markets.

In addition to education, which is seen as the most important area in bilateral ties, the New Zealand PM agreed to promote cooperation in transportation, digital commerce and digital economy.

Regarding regional and international issues of mutual concern, Ardern emphasised that as a peace-loving country, New Zealand highly valued the settlement of disputes in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) via dialogue and peaceful measures in respect for international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. — VNS