Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn (left) and Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan had official talks yesterday in Singapore. VNA/VNS Photo

SINGAPORE – Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn paid an official visit to Singapore on Monday and Tuesday at the invitation of Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

The first official visit of Minister Sơn to Singapore took place in the context that the two countries are celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations and 10 years of their strategic partnership.

Foreign Minister Sơn held talks with his Singaporean counterpart on Tuesday morning.

Singapore's Foreign Minister affirmed that Singapore considers Việt Nam an important partner in the region and wishes to further strengthen the Strategic Partnership with Việt Nam for the benefit of the two peoples and for regional peace, stability and prosperity.

Minister Sơn expressed his pleasure to visit Singapore for the first time as Minister of Foreign Affairs and appreciated Minister Vivian Balakrishnan’s attendance at the ceremony on Monday evening to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Việt Nam-Singapore diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership.

The two ministers expressed their satisfaction at the development of the two countries’ relations, reflected in the frequency of high-level visits and bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Economic cooperation, trade and investment are constantly being promoted.

Singapore leads ASEAN and ranks second in the world in terms of investment capital in Việt Nam with 3,273 projects and a total capital of over US$73.4 billion, accounting for about 23 per cent of total registered FDI capital.

The Việt Nam-Singapore industrial parks continue to operate effectively and have been constantly expanded and upgraded, becoming a symbol of success in investment cooperation between the two countries.

Cooperation in other important fields such as national defence, security, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges has been treasured, contributing to enhancing mutual understanding between the two peoples.

The two ministers agreed to coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to effectively concretise the commitments made during Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s visit to Singapore in February 2023.

The two sides vowed to focus on preparing well for the upcoming high-level visits, especially Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s official visit to Việt Nam.

They pledged to strengthen effective implementation of signed cooperation agreements, including the Memorandum of Understanding on establishing the Việt Nam-Singapore Digital Economy-Green Economy Partnership.

The two sides also agreed to work together to promote negotiations and sign important cooperation documents, including a document to upgrade the Singapore-Việt Nam Connectivity Framework Agreement.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two ministers agreed that in the context of complicated and unpredictable global and regional developments, the two countries need to continue to strengthen cooperation, maintain solidarity and promote the central role of ASEAN, especially in strategic issues such as peace and stability in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea and the region.

The two sides agreed to build the East Sea into a sea of peace, cooperation and development, together with ASEAN countries to strictly and fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), striving to soon achieve an effective, efficient and consistent Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) in accordance with the international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

The same day Foreign Minister Sơn had a meeting with Singaporean Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean during which they agreed to continuously contribute to promoting the bilateral cooperation relationship between Việt Nam and Singapore, including fostering cooperation and promoting the signing of documents in security and defence.

They vowed to jointly maintain peace, stability and cooperation in the region, strengthen solidarity and unity, contribute to building a resilient and prosperous ASEAN and promote its central role, especially in strategic regional issues of the region.

During his visit to Singapore, Sơn and his delegation together with officials of the Vietnamese Embassy and Vietnamese representative agencies visited and offered flowers to President Hồ Chí Minh's monument at the Asian Civilisations Museum. – VNS