Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung (right) had talks with Canadian Ambassador to Việt Nam James Nickel on July 28 in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is ready to work with Canada to expand and deepen substantive cooperation, with a view to soon upgrading the bilateral relationship framework in line with the level of political trust, cooperation potential and the interests of the two countries' people, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung said on Tuesday.

Receiving Canadian Ambassador to Việt Nam James Nickel, Trung spoke highly of the ambassador’s efforts to promote the Việt Nam–Canada Comprehensive Partnership through active exchanges and engagement with Vietnamese ministries, sectors and localities.

Affirming that Việt Nam always attaches importance to its Comprehensive Partnership with Canada, he welcomed Canada’s strategic orientations towards the Indo-Pacific, including its support for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)'s centrality and its recognition of Việt Nam's role as a gateway for trade with the region.

Building on the consensus on maintaining the current positive momentum and bringing Việt Nam–Canada relations to a new height, reached by Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney during their phone call on July 21, Trung proposed the two sides closely coordinate to develop a specific roadmap for upgrading the relationship framework, increase exchanges and visits at all levels and through various channels, and maintain and consider the possible upgrade of existing dialogue mechanisms.

The minister stressed the need to strengthen cooperation across all areas and establish new frameworks and mechanisms capable of creating breakthroughs, particularly in economic, trade and investment cooperation; science and technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors and critical minerals; green and nuclear energy; security and defence; education and training; high-quality human resources development; expert exchanges; and people-to-people ties.

The two countries should also continue close coordination at regional and international organisations and forums, he added.

For his part, Nickel underscored Việt Nam's importance in Canada’s policy and described the country as a key partner in ASEAN with an increasingly important role and position on the international stage.

Canada wants to further deepen its Comprehensive Partnership with Việt Nam across all fields, particularly amid an increasingly complex and unpredictable global landscape, he said, agreeing to work closely with Việt Nam to concretise the upgrade of bilateral relations and promote high-level visits.

He also highlighted priority areas for cooperation, including AI, semiconductors, nuclear energy, aerospace, security and defence, financial technology, food safety, environmental protection, high-quality human resources training, defence industry, education, agriculture and development assistance.

The diplomat reaffirmed Canada’s support for ASEAN's centrality and its commitment to advancing the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership, as well as its backing for Việt Nam as Chair of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2026 and host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in 2027.

Canada will continue coordinating closely with Việt Nam on regional and international issues of shared concern, he added. — VNA/VNS