State President Lương Cường and Peruvian President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra. VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh

LIMA — Việt Nam and Peru on Wednesday issued a joint declaration on the enhancement of bilateral relations on the occasion of the official visit to Peru from November 12-14 by State President Lương Cường and a high-ranking delegation of Việt Nam at the invitation of Peruvian President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarr.

During the trip, the first-ever official visit to Peru by a Vietnamese State President, the two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the high level of development in bilateral relations, and reaffirmed their determination to strengthen and deepen this relationship for the benefit of the people of both countries. The two leaders and the high-level delegations of Việt Nam and Peru held important working sessions, during which they reviewed the key development steps in the bilateral agenda and exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern.

The two sides acknowledged the good relationship between Việt Nam and Peru, emphasising that the friendship, cooperation, and mutual understanding have strengthened the bond between the two nations, with a strong foundation assured by the shared vision in foreign policy, particularly on issues such as the protection of multilateralism, the full adherence to international law, and the promotion of international trade, and South-South cooperation.

Both highlighted the importance and significance of the first official visit by a State President of Việt Nam to Peru, which coincides with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations (November 14, 1994 - 2024).

They appreciated the results achieved within the framework of the fifth session of the Deputy Foreign Minister-level Political Consultation mechanism, held in Lima on October 3, 2024, and also welcomed the upcoming third session of the Việt Nam-Peru Intergovernmental Committee on Economic Issues and Technical Cooperation, which is expected to be organised in early 2025. In this context, they affirmed the need to deepen political and economic dialogue, especially through the aforementioned mechanisms.

The two sides expressed their determination to elevate the bilateral relations to new heights and agreed to begin discussions towards the official announcement of this upgrade. In this regard, the two sides exchanged views on the priority of opening a Vietnamese Embassy in Lima.

They agreed to promote high-level activities between the two countries, including the exchange of bilateral visits and meetings on the sidelines of international conferences and multilateral forums. At the same time, they stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between the legislative bodies, localities, and people-to-people exchanges.

Highlighting the potential for bilateral trade, they noted that in 2023, Việt Nam became Peru's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia and the fifth-largest in Asia. Similarly, Peru became Việt Nam's sixth-largest trading partner and the largest destination for Vietnamese direct investment in Latin America.

The two sides emphasised the importance of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which both countries are members, and committed to further enhancing the deep utilisation of the pact to strengthen bilateral economic and trade relations, while promoting an open, rules-based, fair, and inclusive global trading system.

Both sides shared the need to further open markets for each other's agricultural products to diversify the bilateral trade structure and ensure food security in both countries.

President Dina Boluarte highlighted the importance of Vietnamese investment in Peru. In turn, President Lương Cường welcomed Peru's increased investment in Việt Nam.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitments to advancing measures to increase bilateral investment in a responsible, sustainable, and inclusive manner, in accordance with the principles of efficiency and integrity.

The Peruvian side expressed its desire for Vietnamese businesses to continue investing in Peru, particularly within the framework of public-private partnerships, and to participate in the development of a logistics, industrial, and multimodal technology hub in the central coastal region of Peru, which is set to be established with the inauguration of the new Chancay Port.

Both sides recognised the importance of advancing and consolidating South-South cooperation and trilateral partnership as a mechanism to enhance bilateral relations, particularly in areas such as trade and investment, mining, oil and gas, tourism, agriculture, renewable energy, science, technology and innovation, and climate change response.

They expressed their readiness to seek ways to enhance comprehensive cooperation in the fields of telecommunications, information technology, and digital transformation. They agreed to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese telecommunications and IT companies to engage in digital transformation projects, digital infrastructure, smart city development, cybersecurity, digital health, digital education, digital finance, and especially sustainable development projects in the field of education, such as providing Internet access in schools across Peru.

The two leaders reaffirmed their interest in implementing the Cultural Cooperation Agreement between Việt Nam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Peru’s Ministry of Culture, signed on November 18, 2016, to increase mutual understanding of the traditions and customs of both countries through a cultural cooperation programme.

Both sides agreed on the importance of enhancing educational ties and promoting cooperation agreements between universities in the two countries.

Sharing a common vision on current global challenges such as eradicating hunger and reducing poverty, climate change, environmental protection, renewable energy, ocean conservation, water resources, and food security, both sides reaffirmed their commitments to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the commitments made at the United Nations Climate Change Conferences.

The two sides affirmed the importance of respecting and fully implementing international commitments, adhering to the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes, and strictly prohibiting the use or threat to use force, in line with international law and the UN Charter.

Việt Nam and Peru agreed to promote initiatives of shared interest in international organisations and multilateral forums to which both countries are members, such as the UN, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, the Latin America-East Asia Cooperation Forum (FEALAC), and the Non-Aligned Movement, based on respect for the UN Charter, international law, and the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of states.

Peru thanked Việt Nam for its strong support in the decision by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to grant Peru "Development Partner" status on January 29, 2024, which will help enhance Peru’s cooperation with this regional bloc.

Both sides reiterated their commitments to continuing the implementation of the ASEAN-Peru Development Partnership Framework. Peru has proposed cooperation with ASEAN by sharing best practices from Peru’s public administration and regulatory agencies.

They expressed support for the mission of building a self-reliant, creative, dynamic ASEAN Community centred on its people and agreed to coordinate efforts to strengthen relations between ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance, promoting green growth and sustainable development initiatives in both countries and across the regions.

The two sides committed to increasing cooperation and supporting each other in candidacies at international forums and organisations in which both countries are involved.

President Lương Cường praised Peru's role as the host of the APEC 2024 Presidency, especially through the promotion of key documents on transitioning to a formal economy, regional economic linkages, sustainable and inclusive growth, food security, and clean energy. In turn, President Dina Boluarte expressed gratitude for Việt Nam’s contributions through its delegations to all APEC meetings throughout 2024, and showed support and willingness to collaborate and share experiences in the organisation of topics and initiatives during Việt Nam's APEC 2027 Presidency.

Both sides welcomed the signing of an updated Memorandum of Understanding between the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Lima Chamber of Commerce. They agreed to continue negotiations on cooperation agreements in areas of mutual interest, such as taxation, digital transformation, security, and transnational crime prevention.

During the Vietnamese State leader’s official visit, President Dina Boluarte presented the Order “The Sun of Peru" to President Lương Cường as a symbol of the positive achievements in the relations between the two countries. President Cường expressed his sincere thanks for receiving Peru’s highest honour.

The State President of Việt Nam thanked the President of Peru for the warm reception and attention during his official visit, and invited President Dina Boluarte to visit Việt Nam, with the timing of the visit to be arranged through diplomatic channels. — VNS