Chilean President Gabriel Boric and Vietnamese President Lương Cường review the guards of honour at a welcome ceremony in Santiago on November 11. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh

SANTIAGO – Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font hosted a welcome ceremony in Santiago on Monday for Vietnamese State President Lương Cường, who is on an official visit to the South American country.

Following the ceremony, the leaders held talks, where they compared notes on measures to deepen and enhance the efficiency of comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Earlier, Cường and his entourage laid a wreath at the monument dedicated to national hero Bernardo O'Higgins, who led Chile in the fight for independence from colonial rule in the early 19th century.

This is the first visit to Chile by a Vietnamese State President in 15 years, coinciding with the 55th anniversary of the historic meeting between President Hồ Chí Minh and President Salvador Allende, which laid the foundation for Chile to become the first country in South America to establish diplomatic ties with Việt Nam.

Over the years, despite the geographical distance, diplomatic relations between Việt Nam and Chile have developed fruitfully. Political-diplomatic relations between the two countries have become increasingly close and reliable, as demonstrated through visits and meetings between senior leaders and officials of ministries, sectors and localities.

Trade cooperation remains a highlight of bilateral relations. Over the past decade, two-way trade has quadrupled, reaching US$ 1.5 billion in 2023. Chile is now one of Việt Nam’s key partners in the region and the first Latin American country to sign a Free Trade Agreement with Việt Nam in 2014. As both are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, ample room remains for their cooperation.

The visit also aims to continue implementing the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of foreign relations, proactive, positive, comprehensive and extensive international integration and raising the level of multilateral foreign affairs in the spirit of the 13th National Party Congress, contributing to promoting peace, cooperation, economic linkage and regional connectivity. It also demonstrates Việt Nam's consistent policy of treasuring and wishing to consolidate and promote the Việt Nam-Chile relations. VNS