President Lương Cường (right) meets with Japanese Ambassador to Việt Nam Ito Naoki on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — President Lương Cường on June 6 hosted a reception for Japanese Ambassador to Việt Nam Ito Naoki, during which he affirmed that Japan remains a key partner and a top priority in Việt Nam's foreign policy.

The President noted with delight that the Việt Nam–Japan relationship has continued to grow substantively and effectively across all areas, grounded in long-standing historical connections and over five decades of diplomatic relations.

He highlighted that the upgrade to a comprehensive strategic partnership in late 2023 has further reinforced mutual political trust.

President Cường underlined that Việt Nam supports Japan in playing a more active role in contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and globally.

He expressed a wish to work closely with Japan to implement the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership in a substantive and effective manner, serving the interests of both peoples and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The Vietnamese State leader praised Ambassador Ito’s active efforts to advance bilateral ties and facilitate the successful visit to Việt Nam in April by Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and his spouse. He described the visit as a major milestone that opened up new opportunities for cooperation in defence, security, human resources development, and green transition.

To build on the outcomes of the recent high-level visits, President Cường urged Ito to help strengthen political trust through increased high-level exchanges and the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

He stressed the need for deeper economic integration and cooperation on economic and food security, trade and investment, to support Việt Nam’s goals of industrialisation, modernisation, and building an independent, self-reliant economy capable of withstanding global fluctuations.

President Cường expressed his hope that both sides will focus on implementing new pillars of cooperation, such as science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, established during PM Ishiba’s visit. He emphasised the importance of training high-quality human resources, particularly in the semiconductor industry, as well as expanding cooperation in digital transformation and fully realising signed defence and security commitments.

He further stressed the need to enhance local-level ties, labour cooperation, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and coordination at regional and international forums such as the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

On this occasion, President Cường extended his best wishes to the Emperor and Empress of Japan and expressed his hope to welcome the royal family to Việt Nam in the near future.

For his part, Ambassador Ito said he was honoured to attend the recent 50th anniversary of Việt Nam’s national reunification on April 30 and looked forward to participating in celebrations marking Việt Nam’s 80th National Day.

The ambassador conveyed high appreciation from PM Ishiba and his spouse for the success of their April visit, affirming Japan’s strong support for Việt Nam’s development as the country enters a new era of development.

He proposed further concrete actions to strengthen bilateral ties, with a focus on digital transformation, green transition, and AI development.

The diplomat also confirmed Japan’s commitment to accepting 250 Vietnamese interns, and said both sides had agreed to cooperate on semiconductor research and push forward with the Việt Nam–Japan University project. Defence and security, culture and sports, and people-to-people exchange will also be further promoted. — VNS