Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomes Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính during his official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). — VNA/VNS Photo

ABU DHABI — Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan hosted an official welcome ceremony with a 21-cannon salute at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi on Monday morning (local time) for Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, his wife and a high-ranking delegation from Việt Nam.

PM Chính and the officials from Việt Nam are paying an official visit to the UAE at the invitation of President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The visit, the first of its kind by a Prime Minister of Việt Nam for over 15 years, is taking place in the context that the bilateral relations are developing well across all fields, especially politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, labour and tourism.

Political trust and mutual understanding between the two countries have been consistently consolidated, reflected through vibrant delegation exchanges at different levels.

Economic collaboration has always been an important pillar and a bright spot in the overall picture of the Việt Nam-UAE relations. The UAE is currently Việt Nam's largest export market in the Middle East and Africa, with two-way trade reaching US$4.96 billion in the first nine months of this year, higher than the $4.7 billion recorded in the whole year of 2023.

As of September 2024, the UAE had 42 projects valued at $74.09 million in Việt Nam, ranking 52nd among 148 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation.

PM Chính's official visit is expected to contribute to strengthening political trust, elevating relations and creating breakthroughs in bilateral ties in numerous fields, from economy, trade and investment, through to new areas such as innovation, science, technology, energy and the Halal industry.

In particular, during the visit, the two sides are expected to upgrade bilateral relations and sign the Việt Nam-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), striving to achieve the target of $10 billion in trade turnover in the near future, growing higher in following years and opening up a new era of cooperation between Việt Nam and the UAE, as well as with other countries in the Middle East. — VNS