The signing ceremony for the Board of Peace charter aimed at resolving the Gaza conflict is held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos on Thursday. — XINHUA/VNA Photo

DAVOS — A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn attended a signing ceremony for the founding charter of the Board of Peace aimed at ending the conflict in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, at the invitation of US President Donald Trump.

At the ceremony, US President Trump joined 19 heads of state and government and senior representatives from countries and territories including Bahrain, Morocco, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Mongolia in signing the charter.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese Deputy PM held meetings with senior members of President Trump’s cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and Jared Kushner, a member of the Board of Peace Executive Board.

Sơn affirmed that Việt Nam highly values US President Trump’s efforts to promote peace, cooperation and prosperity worldwide, and stands ready to participate in the Board of Peace as a founding member.

He stressed Việt Nam’s willingness to soon coordinate with other members of the board in implementing the Gaza peace plan, which was adopted by the United Nations Security Council under Resolution 2803 on November 17, 2025. This, he noted, will help advance lasting peace in the Middle East in line with Việt Nam’s consistent stance on the Palestinian issue, international law and the UN Charter.

The official conveyed Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s appreciation for President Trump’s continued support for the development of Việt Nam–US relations and for a strong, independent, self-reliant and prosperous Việt Nam. He also extended an invitation from the Party General Secretary and high-ranking Vietnamese leaders for the US President and First Lady to visit Việt Nam when time permits.

US cabinet members reaffirmed their commitment to further enhancing the Việt Nam–US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a substantive and effective manner, including efforts to soon reach an agreement on reciprocal tariff negotiations. They welcomed Việt Nam’s role as a founding member of the Board of Peace and said President Trump will arrange a visit to Việt Nam when possible.

On the sidelines of the signing, Sơn met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who sent his regards to Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and congratulations to the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam.

Aliyev expressed his wish to visit Việt Nam later this year to further advance the Strategic Partnership and implement the high-level agreements reached during General Secretary Tô Lâm’s visit to Azerbaijan in May 2025, particularly in oil-gas and technology.

The Azerbaijani leader also spoke highly of Việt Nam’s decision to join the Board of Peace as a founding member, and voiced his hope that the two countries will work closely together and share development experience, making practical contributions to reconstruction efforts in Gaza and across the world.

During the trip, Sơn also met with the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia, as well as senior Peace Board representative and former UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, to discuss cooperation within the Board of Peace and bilateral relations.

The partners welcomed Việt Nam’s participation in the Board of Peace, voicing confidence that Việt Nam’s foreign policy, resilience, and experience in overcoming the consequences of war and successfully rebuilding the nation will provide valuable lessons and make meaningful contributions to regional peace efforts. — VNA/VNS