General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Tô Lâm (centre) and his spouse Ngô Phương Ly arrive at Minsk Airport on Sunday afternoon (local time), beginning a state visit to the Republic of Belarus from May 11-12 at the invitation of President Aleksandr Lukashenko. VNA/VNS Photo

MINSK — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm, his spouse Ngô Phương Ly and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived at Minsk Airport on Sunday afternoon (local time), beginning a state visit to the Republic of Belarus from May 11-12 at the invitation of President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

They were welcomed at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Sivak, Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov, Belarussian Ambassador to Việt Nam Uladzimir Baravikou, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belarus Nguyễn Văn Ngự, staff of the Vietnamese Embassy, and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Belarus.

Right after arriving at the airport, the Party chief, his spouse and entourage laid flowers at the Victory Monument; visited and presented gifts to veterans and experts who had made outstanding contributions to Việt Nam.

Belarusian girls in traditional costumes respectfully invite General Secretary Tô Lâm to enjoy bread and salt according to Belarus's ritual of welcoming distinguished guests.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, Việt Nam and Belarus have maintained and developed the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with increasingly high political trust. The two sides have regularly exchanged delegations, especially high-level ones, creating a foundation for cultivating and developing a close relationship that has been tested by time.

The two sides have developed cooperation in many fields from national defence and security to economy - trade, culture, education, science and technology, people-to-people exchange, and local cooperation.

The two countries have created a legal framework of about 50 documents, including international treaties or agreements between ministries and agencies.

Nine provincial-level localities of Việt Nam have established friendship and cooperative relations with six out of seven provincial-level administrative units of Belarus. Internationally, the two countries have regularly consulted and supported each other at multilateral forums and mechanisms.

Over the past 30 years, Việt Nam and Belarus have built, nurtured and developed traditional friendship and good cooperation on the basis of trust, equality and mutual respect for the benefit of the people of the two countries, creating a foundation for closer and more active interactions in all fields.

The visit of General Secretary Tô Lâm and his spouse, along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, will create new momentum for strengthening and expanding the bilateral relations, providing orientations to further deepen the good relationship between the two countries. — VNS