Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn and Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone. — VNA/VNS Photo

DUBAI — Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn had meeting with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone within the framework of the World Governments Summit 2025 (WGS 2025) in Dubai on February 11.

In the talks, Sơn provided an overview of Việt Nam's socio-economic achievements and drastic measures the country has taken to realise the Resolution on continued reform and re-organisation of the political system for streamlined, effective and efficient operations.

He expressed his satisfaction with growing economic, trade and investment ties between the two countries. Notably, two-way trade hit US$2.25 billion last year, up 38.2 per cent year on year. Many obstacles in key projects are being cleared.

Sonexay, for his part, affirmed that the Lao Party, State, Government and people always evaluate and give the highest priority to consolidating the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation with Việt Nam. He requested Việt Nam to continue to share its experience in maintaining macroeconomic stability and building an independent, self-reliant economy.

Both sides agreed to direct ministries and agencies to realise the agreements reached during the meeting between the two Politburos and the 47th session of the Việt Nam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee. The focus is placed on advancing cooperation in the fields of politics, diplomacy, national defence and security, investment, trade, and transport connectivity. Special attention should be paid to creating new momentum in economic, cultural, educational, healthcare, and scientific-technical cooperation; improving the effectiveness of investment collaboration and the development of Laos's economic infrastructure.

The great Việt Nam-Laos relationship is an invaluable asset for both nations, they said, stressing the importance of continuing to nurture and preserve this bond for future generations.

UAE relations

Also on the sidelines of the summit, Deputy PM Sơn had brief talks with UAE Vice President Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan within the framework of the World Governments Summit 2025 (WGS 2025) in Dubai.

During the meeting, the senior UAE Government official recalled PM Phạm Minh Chính's trip to the UAE in October 2024, saying that Sơn's visit reflects Việt Nam's strong commitment to implementing high-level agreements and reinforcing relations between the two countries.

For his part, Sơn asked the countries to actively coordinate in translating their leaders' commitments into concrete actions, implementing the comprehensive partnership framework, and expediting the ratification of their Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in a bid to drive bilateral collaboration in economy, trade, investment, defence, high technology, green transition, digital transformation, agriculture, and labour.

The UAE Vice President affirmed that his country's investment agencies and funds have been directed to formulate cooperation plans in these areas. Notably, the UAE Minister of Investment visited Việt Nam from February 7-8 to discuss specific projects for future joint work.

Meanwhile, in a separate meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, UAE Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan praised Việt Nam's economic growth, investment attraction, and governance reforms. He considered the country’s participation in the World Government Summit 2025, hosted by the UAE, a valuable contribution to the event’s success.

In response, Sơn said the summit reflects the UAE’s growing international influence in shaping governance structures and seeking creative solutions and policies to build future governments, especially in technological innovation and national governance.

Both sides expressed their delight at the positive progress in bilateral cooperation following recent high-level visits. They noted an increase in delegation exchanges, enhanced trade and investment promotion, and ongoing discussions on potential investment projects between the countries' ministries and businesses.

The officials agreed to continue stepping up all-level mutual visits and expedite the signing of an action plan to effectively implement the Việt Nam-UAE comprehensive partnership.

On this occasion, Sơn conveyed official invitations from Việt Nam's high-ranking leaders to the UAE President and PM to visit Việt Nam in the near future.

With the goal of raising two-way trade to $20 billion in the near future, both sides agreed to expedite the approval and effective implementation of the CEPA, striving to begin right in the first quarter of this year. They also committed to enhancing exchanges and sharing information on potential investment projects to achieve breakthrough cooperation projects in the coming time, particularly in strategic sectors such as digital transformation, logistics, and renewable energy.

Sơn expressed his desire for the UAE to support and share its experience with Việt Nam in building institutional frameworks and policies to attract investment in the development and operation of international financial centres in HCM City and Đà Nẵng, as well as free trade zones in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu and Hải Phòng. He also requested the UAE’s assistance in developing Việt Nam's Halal industry and expanding the export of its Halal products to the UAE and the region.

Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan agreed with Sơn's proposals, emphasising that UAE leaders highly value the relationship with Việt Nam, especially following the recent visit to the UAE by PM Chính. He noted that Việt Nam's increasing position in the international arena, with an open foreign policy and being friends with all nations, and a strong aspiration and determination for development, makes Việt Nam one of the UAE’s most important partners in the region.

Affirming that Việt Nam is a market with great potential, a young and highly skilled workforce, and many opportunities to attract major UAE investment projects, he also suggested expanding labour cooperation between the two countries, given the UAE's high demand for labour and its goal of diversifying its expatriate workforce.

The two officials agreed to strengthen coordination and maximise the role of their respective ministries of foreign affairs. They planned to hold a political consultation this year to review specific plans and promote bilateral cooperation across all fields and mull over establishing cultural centres in each country to enhance people-to-people exchanges, cultural ties, and mutual understanding between their people.

Sơn took this occasion to invite Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to visit Việt Nam again at a convenient time and the latter accepted the invitation with pleasure. — VNS