Vice State President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân meets with outgoing Argentine Ambassador Marcos Antonio Bednarski. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Vice State President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân on Wednesday affirmed Việt Nam’s commitment to strengthening its Comprehensive Partnership with Argentina during a meeting with outgoing Argentine Ambassador Marcos Antonio Bednarski.

The Vice President said Việt Nam cherishes its relationship with Argentina, noting that bilateral ties have continued to expand across multiple fields over more than 50 years of diplomatic relations and more than a decade under the Comprehensive Partnership framework.

Congratulating Bednarski on his successful tenure, she praised his significant contributions to promoting high-level exchanges, enhancing cooperation among ministries, sectors and localities, and strengthening coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, including the United Nations and regional cooperation mechanisms.

Highlighting Việt Nam’s growing role within ASEAN and Argentina’s importance in Latin America, Xuân expressed hope that the two countries would continue working together to advance cooperation between ASEAN and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), while facilitating negotiations on trade agreements between Việt Nam and the bloc.

She stressed that economic, trade and investment cooperation remains a key pillar of bilateral relations. Although two-way trade has recorded positive growth in recent years, considerable potential remains untapped, particularly in agriculture. She called for further efforts to promote balanced, sustainable and mutually beneficial trade.

The Vice President also urged both sides to accelerate the completion and implementation of agreements currently under negotiation, including those on double taxation avoidance, aviation and animal and plant quarantine, in order to create a more favourable legal framework for economic, trade and investment cooperation.

She highlighted the importance of strengthening links among business associations, enterprises, and localities through cultural exchanges, tourism, and trade promotion activities. Việt Nam also seeks expanded cooperation with Argentina in science and technology, innovation, education and training, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, she said.

Sharing Việt Nam’s development priorities for the coming period, Xuân called for closer political and diplomatic cooperation and more frequent exchanges at all levels. She also expressed hope to welcome the President of Argentina to Vietnam at an appropriate time to discuss long-term strategic cooperation between the two countries.

For his part, Bednarski thanked the Vice President for her congratulations to Argentina’s national football team on securing its first victory at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

He expressed his deep affection for Việt Nam and appreciation for the support and cooperation he received from Vietnamese agencies and partners throughout his tenure.

The ambassador also highlighted the Vietnamese public’s enthusiasm for Argentine culture, particularly football and tango, and welcomed the positive progress in bilateral ties, especially in politics, trade, agriculture, education, and cultural exchanges.

He noted that the opening of Argentina’s Agricultural and Industrial Attaché Office in Việt Nam reflected the importance Buenos Aires attaches to its relationship with Hà Nội.

Expressing Argentina’s desire to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Bednarski voiced hope that Việt Nam will support the bid.

He also stressed Argentina’s recognition of Việt Nam’s role and standing in ASEAN and Southeast Asia, while reaffirming his country’s interest in expanding bilateral cooperation and advancing negotiations for a Preferential Trade Agreement between Việt Nam and MERCOSUR.

According to the ambassador, unlocking the full potential of cooperation across various sectors would help deepen bilateral ties and deliver tangible benefits to both countries’ people and businesses. — VNA/VNS