Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung had a meeting with his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s visits to Kuwait, Algeria and South Africa have laid a new foundation for strategic cooperation, diversifying partnerships and expanding development opportunities for enterprises and localities, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung.

During the PM's trip, Việt Nam upgraded ties to strategic partnerships with all three countries. Kuwait, Algeria and South Africa are Việt Nam’s first three strategic partners out of 70 countries in the Middle East and Africa, positioning the Southeast Asian nation as a key link in the three other countries' priority strategic partnership networks, Trung said.

In an interview with media after the Government leader concluded the trip, Trung said that the visit featured a dense schedule with more than 50 diverse activities. These ranged from high-level meetings with top government leaders to engagements with major corporations and economic organisations, policy speeches and significant cultural, historical and social events, as well as meetings with the Vietnamese communities in the three nations.

All three countries accorded PM Chính and the Vietnamese delegation a warm and respectful welcome, reflecting the high regard they place on current strong relations, traditional ties and the potential for future cooperation with Việt Nam, he said.

Việt Nam and the three other nations signed more than 10 cooperation agreements across various fields, according to Trung. He added that Việt Nam has the “opportunity to further consolidate the longstanding and excellent traditional relations with all three nations” through the adoption of joint statements establishing strategic partnerships and the signing of cooperation agreements.

“What was especially touching is that all three countries welcomed PM Chính, his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation with great respect and warmth. Exchanges were substantive and cordial, like those between close friends and brothers,” Trung said.

The Emir of Kuwait extended his meeting with PM Chính to three times longer than usual, speaking from the heart and stressing that “Kuwait’s interests are also Việt Nam’s interests" and that he cares for the Vietnamese people as he does for the Kuwaiti people.

The President of Algeria expressed his readiness for cooperation with Việt Nam “without limits, without barriers, and without distance”, while the Algerian Prime Minister personally welcomed the delegation at the airport and accompanied PM Chính throughout the day from meetings to banquets. He even chaired late-night working sessions with ministries and enterprises from both countries to “finalise and implement immediately” the agreed commitments.

In South Africa, despite the busy week during the G20 Summit with 63 delegations, the South African President hosted a reception, held talks and witnessed the signing of documents with the Vietnamese PM and assigned South Africa's Vice President to co-chair the Business Forum.

These gestures reflect a high level of political trust and create strong momentum for a new phase of cooperation, with great expectations placed on Việt Nam to “fill in the blank space on the Middle East–Africa map” through concrete projects and value chains, Trung said.

The foreign minister confirmed that through the visit, Việt Nam strengthened its traditional relationships, reinforced existing areas of cooperation and opened up new fields of collaboration.

These include sectors of great importance to Việt Nam and aligned with the capabilities of the partner countries, such as energy and petrochemicals, agricultural, fisheries and mineral production and processing, promoting FTAs and expanding market access and deeper participation in the supply chains of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Africa.

Meanwhile, it also marked the second consecutive year that Việt Nam was invited to attend the G20 Summit as a guest, even though it does not hold the rotating chairmanship of any multilateral forum. This reflects the country’s growing role and position, as well as the international community’s appreciation for Việt Nam’s contributions.

At the summit, PM Chính delivered remarks on two major areas: strengthening international solidarity and promoting sustainable development in the current context, as well as several specific issues, including cooperation related to critical minerals, labour and employment.

“Our messages were valued by participating countries because Việt Nam has achieved numerous socio-economic development accomplishments in recent years and follows a comprehensive development approach that includes sustainability and job creation, and is also respected for its potential in critical minerals,” Trung said.

Việt Nam made a valuable contribution to this important global event, in line with its foreign policy of being an active and responsible member of the international community.

As stated in the draft Political Report for the 14th National Party Congress, Việt Nam will continue to contribute to addressing common global issues. The country will also find more opportunities to leverage cooperation with multilateral institutions, including the G20 and international organisations.

To concretise the strategic partnership agreements, Trung said for these partners, it will be important in the next few years to raise awareness and shift perceptions regarding the substantive promotion of relations with Middle Eastern and African countries.

“Despite existing differences and potential difficulties compared to the long-established relationships we have with other partners, we need to work with these countries to promptly develop action programmes and concrete plans to implement the newly established strategic partnership framework,” the foreign minister said.

He also emphasised the need to effectively tap existing mechanisms between Việt Nam and the three countries, while also leveraging new mechanisms and creating additional ones if needed.

Trung proposed that Việt Nam adopt creative measures to take advantage of opportunities and conditions offered by multilateral mechanisms, including the G20. VNS