State President Lương Cường (right) receives New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — State President Lương Cường affirmed New Zealand as a reliable partner of Việt Nam and highlighted New Zealand's active cooperation and support for his country over the past half-century, while receiving New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

The President stated that the upgrade of the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership opens up a new chapter for collaboration, fostering deeper and more comprehensive relations between the two countries both bilaterally and multilaterally.

President Cường stressed the significance of PM Luxon's official visit in the elevation of the relations, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties (1975–2025).

PM Luxon expressed his admiration for Việt Nam's strong development in recent years and noted his desire to further strengthen cooperation with the country.

The leaders expressed their delight at cooperation progress in various areas, particularly education, agriculture, trade, culture, and people-to-people exchange. They agreed to develop an action plan for the new partnership, enhance political trust, increase all-level visits and exchanges, and deepen defence-security cooperation.

The two sides will also step up the sharing of information and assessments on regional and global situations, and work together in addressing traditional and non-traditional security challenges.

President Cường thanked New Zealand for increasing scholarships for Vietnamese students by 56 per cent and called for continued support in technology transfer, and expert and high-quality personnel training.

PM Luxon reaffirmed New Zealand’s backing for Việt Nam's role as APEC 2027 host.

Both sides committed to close coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums, including the UN, APEC, ASEAN, and ASEAN-led mechanisms.

On this occasion, President Cường asked PM Luxon to convey his invitation to New Zealand Governor-General Cindy Kiro to visit Việt Nam, while PM Luxon conveyed an invitation from the Governor-General to the Vietnamese leader to visit New Zealand. President Cuong accepted the invitation with pleasure. — VNA/VNS