Ambassadors of Việt Nam and Trinidad & Tobago exchange the joint communiqué on the establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic relations on Wednesday in New York. VNA/VNS Photo Quang Huy

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and Trinidad & Tobago officially established diplomatic relations on Wednesday (New York time), eyeing further cooperation in various fields including oil and gas exploitation, tourism and agriculture.

On behalf of the Governments of Việt Nam and Trinidad & Tobago, their permanent representatives to the United Nations signed a joint communiqué on the establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic relations at the permanent mission of Việt Nam to the UN in New York.

The two countries agreed to exchange diplomatic representatives at the ambassadorial level under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961. On the same day, the text of the Joint Communiqué was sent to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to circulate in the UN as an official document and notify the member states of this organisation.

On this occasion, Ambassador Đặng Hoàng Giang had an exchange with Ambassador Dennis Francis Smith about measures to promote cooperation between the two countries. The two sides expressed their delight at the official establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, affirming that this is a memorable first step, opening up a multifaceted cooperation relationship between the two nations.

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency correspondent, Ambassador Smith said that Trinidad & Tobago is an island nation with strong economic potential with the third largest GDP in the Caribbean region, and at the same time expressed an impression with the proud history as well as development achievements of Việt Nam.

Ambassador Smith said he highly appreciated the potential of cooperation between the two countries, emphasising that Trinidad & Tobago has cooperated with Việt Nam within the multilateral framework of the United Nations and is now aiming for bilateral cooperation relations with Việt Nam, with similar visions in many fields, including cultural cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, agriculture, fishing, energy, technology and tourism.

Therefore, establishing diplomatic relations with a self-reliant country and a reliable partner like Việt Nam is a milestone in the foreign policy of Trinidad & Tobago. On that basis, the two ambassadors agreed to continue sharing information to explore the strengths and potentials of cooperation between the two countries, especially in the fields of oil and gas exploitation, tourism and agriculture. The two ambassadors also affirmed that they will strengthen close coordination at the United Nations and other multilateral forums.

With the founding of diplomatic ties with Trinidad & Tobago, Việt Nam now has diplomatic relations with 192 countries. VNS