Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn (right) had talks with Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand Sarun Charoensuwan, on Monday in Hà Nội. — Photo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn hosted a reception in Hà Nội on Monday for Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand Sarun Charoensuwan, who is in Việt Nam for a visit and co-chairing the 9th Việt Nam-Thailand political consultation.

Sơn spoke highly of the strong and intensive development of the enhanced strategic partnership between Việt Nam and Thailand, especially in politics, diplomacy, trade and investment.

Highlighting the efficiency of the political consultation mechanism, the minister suggested upholding its role in reviewing and proposing orientations for the implementation of agreements reached by the two countries’ high-ranking leaders in general and their foreign ministries in particular.

Sơn said the ministries should step up all-level delegation exchanges, particularly in 2023 to celebrate the 10th founding anniversary of the Việt Nam-Thailand strategic partnership.

At the same time, they should carry forward their role as a bridge to push ahead with the materialisation of the action plan implementing the enhanced strategic partnership in the 2022-27 period, especially the “Three Connections” initiative that covers supply chain; economies, businesses and localities; and sustainable growth strategies of the two countries, he said.

The minister also suggested the two sides enhance cooperation in such new areas as digital economy, green economy and energy transition, while supporting each other at multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations (UN), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Mekong sub-region cooperation.

For his part, Charoensuwan expressed his wish to welcome Sơn on a visit to Thailand, and committed to coordinating with the Vietnamese side to effectively implement cooperation contents in all important spheres, including national defence and security, trade, investment, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

The official noted that Việt Nam is an important partner of Thailand in the region, and agreed on the need for the two sides to continue their close coordination in maintaining ASEAN’s solidarity and centrality, and to strengthen their cooperation at regional and international mechanisms.

He said apart from big groups and investment projects that are operating fruitfully in Việt Nam, more and more Thai enterprises have shown their interest in the market. — VNS