Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries. VNA/VNS Photo

STOCKHOLM – Vice State President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân held talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Monday, as part of her on-going official visit to the West European country, during which the two sides agreed to further deepen bilateral relations in the time to come.

The Swedish PM congratulated Việt Nam on its remarkable achievements in socio-economic development and international integration in recent years, stating that Sweden treasures its relations with Việt Nam.

He expressed a desire to further boost cooperation between the two countries in trade, investment, innovation, digital transformation, green transition, climate change response, and sustainable development.

For her part, Xuân affirmed that Việt Nam attaches importance to strengthening and expanding its traditional friendship and good cooperation with Sweden.

She thanked the Swedish government and people for their valuable and effective support for Việt Nam in the struggle for national liberation in the past, and socio-economic development and international integration efforts at present.

Regarding economic cooperation, the Vietnamese leader expressed her appreciation for Sweden -- one of the first countries that ratified the new-generation EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) at an early date.

She suggested the Swedish government continue to encourage businesses to increase their investment in Việt Nam in sectors where it has strengths and Việt Nam has demands, such as renewable energy, digital transformation, green transition, circular economy, and infrastructure, especially helping Việt Nam shift to a new economic growth model that integrates innovation.

The two expressed satisfaction at the positive development of Việt Nam-Sweden relations over the past more than half a century since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties. They agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations by enhancing delegation exchanges at all levels and continuing their close coordination at regional and international forums such as the UN and the ASEAN-EU cooperation framework.

They also emphasised the need to expand collaboration in areas such as innovation, science and technology, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, thus enhancing mutual understanding, tightening the friendship between the peoples, and contributing to elevating bilateral relations to a new height.

Ulf affirmed that the Swedish government will continue facilitating the Vietnamese community’s integration into Swedish society, enabling them to contribute to the host country’s prosperity and cultural diversity, as well as promoting their role as a bridge fostering friendship and good cooperation between the two countries.

In their exchange of viewpoints on international and regional issues of mutual concern, the two sides showed worries over escalating tensions in several global hotspots. They emphasised their support for the search for sustainable and long-term peaceful solutions to conflicts, based on respect for basic principles of the UN Charter and international law.

Xuân took the occasion to convey Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s invitation to Ulf for an official visit to Việt Nam in the coming time.

Before the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of two memorandums of understanding on cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) of Việt Nam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden. — VNA/VNS