The welcome ceremony for Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm at Auckland International Airport on August 12.— VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

AUCKLAND — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived at Auckland International Airport on Wednesday evening (local time), beginning their three-day state visit to New Zealand, at the invitation of Governor-General Cindy Kiro.

Welcoming the delegation at the airport were Deputy Secretary of New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Grahame Morton; New Zealand Ambassador to Việt Nam Caroline Beresford; Divisional Manager of the South and Southeast Asia Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Susannah Gordon; and Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Phan Minh Giang and his spouse, along with officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy.

Over more than five decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations on June 19, 1975, Việt Nam and New Zealand have continuously worked to build a solid foundation for the bilateral ties. The two countries are expanding cooperation in smart agriculture, climate change adaptation and carbon markets in line with Việt Nam's green growth objectives.

Embassy staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in New Zealand welcome Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

New Zealand has also remained an effective development cooperation partner of Việt Nam, with focus on areas with long-term impacts, including education, human resources training, high-tech agriculture and climate change response.

General Secretary and President Lâm's state visit to New Zealand affirms Việt Nam's consistent policy of attaching importance to the ties with the country – a friendly partner with significant potential and many shared interests with Việt Nam in the South Pacific.

The trip is also an important milestone in further advancing the Việt Nam–New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a stronger, more substantive and effective manner in the new period. — VNA/VNS

New Zealand officials welcome Party General Secretary and State President To Lam at Auckland international airport. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất