Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm and President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins hold talks in Dublin on Wednesday. VNA/VNS Photo

DUBLIN — Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm has announced plans to establish a Vietnamese Embassy in Ireland and expressed his hope that Ireland would continue to support Việt Nam's growth in priority areas such as green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, digital transformation and sustainable development.

The top Vietnamese leader made the announcement during talks with President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins in Dublin on Wednesday.

The two leaders expressed their belief that the decision to open an embassy will raise bilateral relations between the countries to a new level and help work towards the common interests of both peoples.

The talks were followed by an official welcome and a private meeting between the two leaders.

Lâm is the first State leader of Việt Nam to visit Ireland since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1996.

Warmly welcoming the Vietnamese leader, President Higgins confirmed the importance of Việt Nam's position and role in the Asia-Pacific region.

Lâm said Việt Nam understands the importance of developing friendly relations and multi-faceted cooperation with Ireland, while speaking highly of the Irish Government for granting Việt Nam a priority position in its development cooperation policy within the framework of Ireland's strategy 'Global Ireland: Renewing our commitment to delivering in the Asia Pacific Region to 2025'.

The two leaders agreed to promote delegation exchanges at all levels, especially at high levels, and actively implement existing cooperation mechanisms.

As for economic, trade and investment cooperation, Lâm confirmed that this important pillar of cooperation has progressed in a positive way.

They agreed that the two sides need to effectively utilise the Việt Nam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), promote trade and investment connections and support businesses in both countries.

Việt Nam and Ireland must strive to expand bilateral trade turnover to US$5 billion by 2026, in time for the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The Irish President emphasised that Việt Nam is one of Ireland's leading trade partners in Asia, and there is still ample room for cooperation.

He acknowledged Việt Nam's request to speed up the ratification process of the Việt Nam - EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to expand cooperation and investment opportunities between Vietnamese and Irish business communities.

The Irish leader said he hopes that Việt Nam will create favourable conditions for the export of high-quality agricultural products and food from Ireland.

The two leaders welcomed the establishment of the Strategic Partnership on Higher Education between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and Ireland’s Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. They also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Vietnam National University, Hà Nội and leading Irish universities.

The two leaders agreed that this is a priority area of ​​cooperation between the two countries, thereby helping to improve the quality of training, develop a skilled workforce and promote scientific research and innovation in Việt Nam.

They also pledged to promote people-to-people exchanges as well as cultural, artistic and tourism cooperation between localities.

While showing appreciation for the contributions of the Vietnamese community living and working in Ireland, the Irish President said his country would continue to support and help the Vietnamese community in Ireland to integrate, contribute to the socio-economic life of Ireland and act as a bridge for friendly relations between the two countries.

During their talks, Lâm and Higgins also held in-depth discussions on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

They agreed to promote cooperation at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations and the ASEAN - EU cooperation framework, contributing to regional and global peace, cooperation and development.

Regarding the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea) issue, the two sides shared their stance on ensuring peace, stability, security, cooperation and development in the region, and resolving disputes by peaceful means. — VNS