Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung (left) meets Panamanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Eduardo Martínez-Acha Vásquez in Manila, the Philippines, on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photos Việt Dũng

MANILA — Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung bilaterally met with his counterparts from Panama, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Qatar, as part of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM-59) and related meetings in Manila, the Philippines, on Friday.

During his meeting with Panamanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Eduardo Martínez-Acha Vásquez, important gains from more than five decades of ties were welcomed, with two-way trade climbing steadily to US$474 million in 2025 from $364 million in 2015.

The Panamanian minister praised Việt Nam's development record after its struggle for national independence and reunification, calling Việt Nam a key Asia-Pacific partner for Panama.

The two ministers agreed to facilitate the exchange of all-level delegations, coordinate preparations for upcoming high-level visits, and expand cooperation in promising areas, including trade, agriculture, investment promotion and protection, maritime affairs, aviation, telecoms, customs, tourism, language training and the fight against transnational crime.

They also vowed to strengthen links among agencies, associations and enterprises to identify new collaboration opportunities matching their needs and strengths.

Trung commended close coordination at multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations (UN), and affirmed Việt Nam’s readiness to act as a bridge for stronger Panama-ASEAN and Panama-Southeast Asia ties.

Martínez-Acha Vásquez welcomed Việt Nam’s growing role and standing within ASEAN and backed tighter links between Việt Nam and the Organisation of American States and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Both sides agreed to work towards a successful second Việt Nam-Panama Political Consultation, set for July 27-29 in Việt Nam, to review cooperation and map out ways to deepen the partnership.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung (left) meets Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel in Manila, the Philippines, on Friday.

In their separate meeting, Trung and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel spoke highly of positive momentum in bilateral ties, particularly since the 2023 establishment of the Việt Nam-Luxembourg Strategic Partnership on Green Finance.

They affirmed a push to deepen the partnership through more delegation exchanges, stronger people-to-people ties and closer business connectivity.

Trung highlighted Việt Nam's efforts to overcome the legacy of war, navigate difficult periods and achieve significant gains in economic growth, poverty reduction and international integration.

He also outlined Việt Nam’s 2030 development goals and 2045 vision, flagging sci-tech, innovation, digital transformation and green growth as key drivers of the new growth model.

He thanked Luxembourg for its invaluable support during Việt Nam’s difficult years, calling it a bedrock of bilateral friendship and trust.

Bettel said he is impressed by Việt Nam’s robust economic expansion and poverty reduction gains.

Luxembourg is proud to have accompanied Việt Nam through challenging periods and looks forward to contributing to the country's next growth stage, he added.

The two sides agreed that financial cooperation should remain a key pillar of ties, with priority given to green finance, sustainable finance, banking, capital markets, securities and tax administration.

They welcomed the completion of a draft memorandum of understanding between the finance ministries and agreed to move towards signing, while pledging to boost experience sharing, workforce training, capacity building and cooperation among financial institutions, investment funds, stock exchanges and business communities.

Trung suggested Luxembourg leverage its strengths as a global financial centre to support Việt Nam's green transition, capital market development, financial governance and policy frameworks on taxation and securities.

Both sides also promised stronger coordination at the UN and other multilateral forums, and closer Luxembourg-ASEAN ties.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung (right) meets Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen in Manila, the Philippines, on Friday.

Meeting Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen, Trung thanked the Netherlands for its decades of support, notably in education and training, highlighting the Hà Nội-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted as a lasting symbol of friendship and education cooperation.

He expressed hope that the Netherlands would expand training courses, academic exchanges and quality workforce upskilling for Việt Nam.

Berendsen commended Việt Nam’s development achievements, noting that political and social stability and an increasingly comprehensive legal framework are key advantages for attracting quality investment, including from Dutch and European companies.

The ministers agreed to intensify all-level delegation exchanges, especially at high level, and coordinate preparations for the ninth meeting of the Vietnam-Netherlands Inter-Governmental Committee on Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management in Việt Nam.

Trung urged the Netherlands to ratify the EU–Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement early to facilitate economic, trade and investment ties.

They underscored strong potential in semiconductors and high technology, agreeing to promote a bilateral framework covering chips, quality technical workforce training, research and development, and innovation ecosystem connectivity.

They also discussed prospects for deeper joint work involving Việt Nam’s National Innovation Centre, Viettel, ASML, and Dutch enterprises and research and education institutions.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung (right) meets Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad bin Sultan Al-Muraikhi n Manila, the Philippines, on Friday.

Meeting Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad bin Sultan Al-Muraikhi, Trung once again conveyed condolences from Việt Nam’s high-ranking leaders and his own sympathy to Qatari State, Royal family and people following the passing of former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

The two sides vowed to facilitate all-level visits and exchanges to inject new momentum into bilateral ties while expanding investment and cooperation in areas matching each country’s strengths and development priorities.

On the Middle East, Al-Muraikhi shared the severe humanitarian and economic toll of prolonged conflicts on the region.

Trung said that as a country that endured decades of war, Việt Nam fully understands the value of peace, stability, dialogue and cooperation.

He wished that disputes would be settled peacefully in line with international law, and lauded Qatar’s responsible mediation efforts to ease tensions, promote dialogue and advance peaceful solutions. — VNA/VNS