Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm (left) meets President of the Swiss Confederation and head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport Viola Amherd in Paris on Saturday. — VNA/VNS Photo

PARIS — Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm had meetings with Viola Amherd, President of the Swiss Confederation and head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport; and Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, on the occasion of his attendance at the 19th Francophonie Summit in Paris on October 5.

Meeting Amherd, Lâm thanked Switzerland for assisting CHF$1 million (US$1.16 million) and sending experts and equipment to help Việt Nam address consequences of Typhoon Yagi.

He said that the bilateral friendship and cooperation have been developing well after more than half a century of establishing diplomatic relations; and proposed both sides continue to develop their relations commensurate with their potential in the coming time.

The two leaders agreed to increase delegation exchanges and contacts at all levels and channels to create new momentum for bilateral cooperation in all fields, and strive to conclude negotiations on a free trade agreement between Việt Nam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), continue to research and expand cooperation in the fields of education-training, science and technology, innovation, climate change response, digital transformation and green transformation to facilitate the elevation of bilateral relations to a new level at an appropriate time.

Amherd assessed Việt Nam as an increasingly important economic partner of Switzerland in the region, affirming that Việt Nam is a high priority partner in her country’s development cooperation. She also affirmed her readiness to support Việt Nam in implementing international commitments on climate change response.

The two sides vowed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums and cooperation mechanisms, especially the United Nations (UN), the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), the ASEAN-Switzerland Sectorial Dialogue Partnership, the World Economic Forum (WEF); and jointly contribute to efforts to maintain peace, security and stability in the two regions and in the world.

Lâm proposed the Swiss Government continue to create favourable conditions for the 8,000-strong Vietnamese community living, studying and working in Switzerland so that they can actively contribute to Switzerland’s socio-economic development and act as a bridge to enhance understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

At Lâm’s meeting with the Armenian Prime Minister, the two leaders emphasised the importance of the good traditional friendship between the two countries. The Vietnamese leader affirmed that his country wishes to promote multifaceted and substantive cooperation with Armenia to effectively exploit their cooperation potential, especially in economics and trade.

Nikol Pashinyan suggested the two countries’ relevant agencies coordinate closely with each other to promote the implementation of signed agreements. On this occasion, he expressed his wish to welcome the Vietnamese top leader to visit Armenia at an appropriate time. — VNS