Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko exchanged the joint statement on the establishment of a Việt Nam–Belarus Strategic Partnership on May 12 in Minsk. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

MINSK — Vietnamese Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on Monday witnessed the exchange of several cooperation documents between Việt Nam and Belarus, following their talks in Minsk.

The cooperation documents include: a Letter of Intent on enhancing the training of military personnel and experts between the Ministry of National Defence of Việt Nam and the Ministry of Defence of Belarus; a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Belarusian Ministry of Communications and Informatization on digital transformation; an MoU between the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Belarusian State Committee on Science and Technology on cooperation in science, technology and innovation; a cultural cooperation programme between the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Belarusian Ministry of Culture for the 2026–2028 period; a cooperation programme between the Ministries of Justice of Việt Nam and Belarus for the 2025–2027 period; an MoU on cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector between the Ministries of Health of the two countries; a cooperation agreement between the Voice of Việt Nam and the National State Television and Radio Company of Belarus; and an MoU between the Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations and the Belarusian Association for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries.

Vietnamese Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on May 12 witnessed the exchange of the Letter of Intent on enhancing the training of military personnel and experts between the Ministry of National Defence of Việt Nam (represented by Minister, General Phan Văn Giang) and the Ministry of Defence of Belarus (represented by Major General Viktor Khrenin). — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

General Secretary Tô Lâm and President Aleksandr Lukashenko also signed a Joint Statement on the establishment of a Việt Nam–Belarus Strategic Partnership.

On this occasion, President Aleksandr Lukashenko awarded General Secretary Tô Lâm the Order of Friendship of Peoples, the highest award of the Republic of Belarus for foreign citizens.

Inheriting the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Việt Nam and the former Soviet Union, the friendly and cooperative relations between Việt Nam and Belarus have been continuously strengthened and developed in recent years. The two countries possess complementary strengths, and Việt Nam is a traditional trading partner of Belarus in Southeast Asia.

This State visit to Belarus by General Secretary Tô Lâm is of great significance, not only reinforcing and enhancing political trust between Việt Nam and its traditional friends, but also conveying Việt Nam’s message and determination to constantly consolidate its traditional friendships with former Soviet Union countries, including Belarus. — VNS

President Aleksandr Lukashenko awarded General Secretary Tô Lâm with Belarus' Order of Friendship of Peoples on May 12. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất