Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng (third from left) and State Secretary for Trade and Investments at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lina Gandløse Hansen (third from right). — Photo courtesy of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and Denmark have reaffirmed their commitments to deepening their Comprehensive Partnership and Green Strategic Partnership at the third deputy foreign minister-level political consultation recently held in Copenhagen.

The meeting was co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng and State Secretary for Trade and Investments at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lina Gandløse Hansen.

Hằng expressed gratitude for Denmark’s long-standing support, including Hansen’s personal contributions to the successful organisation of the P4G Summit in Hà Nội three months ago. She affirmed Việt Nam’s desire to strengthen its friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Denmark, particularly in areas of mutual strength and interest.

Meanwhile, Hansen said Denmark attaches importance to the Comprehensive Partnership and Green Strategic Partnership with Việt Nam while speaking highly of the positive development in the bilateral relations over the recent past.

The two sides discussed domestic developments and shared views on boosting bilateral cooperation. Hansen praised Việt Nam’s great reform agenda and its appeal to foreign investors, while Hằng lauded Denmark’s global leadership in green growth and sustainable development.

Hailing the robust relationship between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1971, the diplomats concurred to jointly organise meaningful activities to elevate the relations to a new height towards marking the 55th anniversary in 2026.

They agreed to maintain and promote the existing cooperation mechanisms and support each other’s bids for positions in international organisations. Việt Nam has voiced support for Denmark’s engagement with ASEAN, while Denmark has backed Việt Nam’s ties with the EU, especially during Denmark’s rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union for development and prosperity of the two countries as well as the two blocs, contributing to peace, cooperation, and development in the world.

On trade and investment, Hằng acknowledged Denmark’s ODA contributions totaling US$1 billion and called for continued support in rural development, environmental protection, and green transition projects in Việt Nam. Both sides welcomed robust Danish foreign direct investment into Việt Nam and agreed to resume economic and technological dialogue, encourage business partnerships, and advance large-scale joint projects in renewable energy, logistics, circular economy, and marine sectors.

She urged Denmark, in its capacity as President of the European Council, to push for the swift ratification of the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and to recognise Việt Nam’s progress in promoting sustainable fisheries development and combating illegal fishing, thereby facilitating the removal of the European Commission's "yellow card" against Vietnamese seafood.

The two diplomats agreed to closely coordinate and implement the 2024–2025 action plan concretising the Comprehensive Partnership and Green Strategic Partnership, the Việt Nam - Denmark Energy Partnership Programme (DEPP3) for the 2020-2025 period, and the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), which support Việt Nam's green goals and Paris Agreement commitments. They discussed overcoming obstacles in existing development projects and promoting public-private partnerships, particularly in climate-vulnerable areas like the Mekong Delta.

Other areas on the table included education – training, science – technology, security – defence, transport, culture, sports, tourism, and people-to-people exchange.

Hansen lauded Việt Nam’s proactive and responsible approach in response to rapid developments in the region and the world, voicing support for ASEAN’s stance on the East Sea issue, including maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the waters based on international law.

During her working trip to Denmark, Hằng met with Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelse and had a working session with Deputy Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Tine Nielsen Hertz. — VNS