State President Lương Cường (right) and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña Palacios. — VNA/VNS Photo

NEW YORK — Việt Nam always treasures its relations with Paraguay, a key partner in South America, State President Lương Cường told Paraguayan President Santiago Peña Palacios in their meeting in New York on September 22 (local time) on the sidelines of the High-level General Debate of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Both leaders praised the positive development steps in friendly relations between the two countries over the past three decades and agreed to create breakthroughs in cooperation in the years ahead.

President Cường pushed for better effectiveness of economic, trade, and investment ties, urging Paraguay to accelerate negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Việt Nam and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR). He also sought facilitation for Vietnamese investment in Paraguay’s telecommunications infrastructure, technology, and digital transformation sectors.

Agreeing with the Vietnamese leader's proposals, President Peña Palacios said the two countries share similarities in their struggles for independence and socio-economic development. He expressed his wish to learn from Việt Nam’s integration and development experience and described Việt Nam as an important bridge for Paraguay to expand ties with ASEAN countries.

Paraguay stands ready to support the early start of Việt Nam-MERCOSUR FTA negotiations and wants to deepen multifaceted cooperation with Việt Nam, especially in processing industries, and agriculture and garment sectors, he said.

The two leaders also agreed to work closely together to bolster cultural and people-to-people exchanges, while strengthening coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums.

On this occasion, President Peña Palacios invited President Cường to visit Paraguay. The Vietnamese leader thanked for the invitation and invited President Peña Palacios to visit Việt Nam and attend the signing ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime in Hà Nội in late October. — VNA/VNS