Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Kyrgyz Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev. VNA/VNS Photos

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính affirmed that the visit of Kyrgyzstan Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev marks a significant milestone, ushering in a new phase of cooperation in the traditional friendship between Việt Nam and Kyrgyzstan to upgrade their relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership.

Speaking on Thursday during talks with PM Kasymaliev, following a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace, PM Chính warmly welcomed the Kyrgyz leader and his delegation on their first official visit to Việt Nam since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992.

PM Kasymaliev admired Việt Nam’s socio-economic achievements and praised its growing role in Southeast Asia. He reaffirmed Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to prioritising its relationship with Việt Nam and expressed a desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual strength and potential.

In response, PM Chính emphasised Việt Nam’s readiness to act as a bridge for Kyrgyzstan to enhance cooperation with ASEAN. He also encouraged Kyrgyzstan to leverage its regional position to connect Việt Nam with Central Asia and called for its support of Việt Nam and ASEAN’s stance on the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) issue.

The two leaders hold talks after the welcome ceremony on Thursday.

The two leaders discussed ways to advance bilateral relations and agreed on concrete measures to create new momentum for deeper, more substantive cooperation across multiple fields.

They underscored the importance of maintaining high-level exchanges and fostering bilateral engagement at international forums, particularly within the United Nations. Both sides also agreed to establish direct communication channels to ensure the effective implementation of high-level agreements.

Reaffirming their tradition of close coordination and mutual support in multilateral forums, the leaders acknowledged that economic and trade cooperation remains underdeveloped and has yet to reach its full potential. They stressed the need to better capitalise on the opportunities provided by the Việt Nam-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement to boost bilateral trade.

The two leaders sign a joint statement on the outcomes of Kyrgyz PM Adylbek Kasymaliev’s official visit to Việt Nam.

To enhance the effectiveness of cooperation, both sides agreed to support the establishment of coordination mechanisms between economic, trade and investment agencies, as well as the early formation of an intergovernmental committee. They also welcomed direct business-to-business engagement and participation in promotional activities and specialised trade fairs held in each country.

The two PMs instructed relevant ministries and agencies to accelerate negotiations for agreements on double taxation avoidance, investment encouragement and protection and economic cooperation. They also discussed exchanging lists of exportable goods with strong potentials, such as wood and wood products, electronics, textiles and garments, seafood, fruits, cashews and tea.

Both agreed to expand cooperation into promising fields, including agriculture, defence and security, education and training, culture and tourism, local-level collaboration and transportation connectivity, particularly in aviation and railways, to open new avenues for cooperation. These efforts aim to facilitate mutual understanding between the peoples of both nations and strengthen bilateral relations comprehensively.

The two PMs witness the signing and exchange of MoU between the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Construction of Việt Nam and the Civil Aviation Authority of Kyrgyzstan.

PM Chính suggested that the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan assign relevant agencies to explore opportunities for cooperation in the production and export of Halal products to the Kyrgyz and broader Central Asian markets.

He also urged the Kyrgyz government to continue supporting the Vietnamese community in Kyrgyzstan, ensuring favourable living conditions for them.

Following their talks, the two leaders signed a joint statement on the outcomes of Kyrgyz PM Adylbek Kasymaliev’s official visit to Việt Nam. They also witnessed the signing and exchange of bilateral cooperation agreements, including an Agreement on Cooperation in Education, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Legal Cooperation between the Ministries of Justice of Việt Nam and Kyrgyzstan, and an MoU between the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Construction of Việt Nam and the Civil Aviation Authority of Kyrgyzstan.

On this occasion, Kyrgyz PM Kasymaliev extended a formal invitation to PM Chính to visit Kyrgyzstan for further discussions on enhancing bilateral cooperation, an invitation which the latter gladly accepted. — VNS