General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, together with Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung and Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot at the talks between the top leaders of Việt Nam and Belgium on October 23 in Brussels. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

BRUSSELS — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever have reaffirmed their strong political commitment to deepening the two countries' traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation for the practical benefit of both peoples and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the regions and worldwide.

The pledge was made during their talks in Brussels on Friday as part of the top Vietnamese leader’s official visit to the European country.

PM De Wever warmly welcomed General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, describing the visit as a particularly significant political event that builds on the success of the Belgian King and Queen’s state visit to Việt Nam in April 2025 and provides fresh impetus for bilateral relations.

He praised Việt Nam's growing role and standing in the Asia-Pacific region and on the international arena, and congratulated the country on its impressive socio-economic achievements.

Belgium considers Việt Nam a top-priority partner in Southeast Asia and wishes to expand cooperation in areas of shared strengths and interests, he said.

General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever had a private conversation prior to the official talks. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

Highlighting Belgium’s central role and important position in the European Union (EU), General Secretary and President Tô Lâm appreciated the effective support provided by the Belgian Federal Government and its regional authorities for Việt Nam's socio-economic development. He particularly commended the Belgian Federal Parliament’s adoption in October 2023 of a resolution supporting Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange, the first of its kind passed by a parliament in the world, as a reflection of the Belgian people’s friendship, solidarity and humanitarian spirit.

The two leaders welcomed the positive and substantive progress in their countries' relations, particularly since the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in Agriculture in 2018. They agreed to further strengthen political trust, maintain exchanges and better understand each other’s concerns and needs, with a view to expanding cooperation and elevating ties to a new level.

On political, diplomatic, defence and security cooperation, they reached a consensus on the need to increase mutual visits at all levels, particularly high-level ones across all channels, and effectively implement the existing cooperation mechanisms and agreements. They also called for stronger links between Vietnamese ministries, sectors and localities and Belgium’s federal and regional governments to pave the way for upgrading bilateral relations to a strategic partnership in the near future.

General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever at the talks and banquet. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

The two sides agreed to make defence and security cooperation an important pillar of the new relationship framework, focusing on training, military medicine, United Nations peacekeeping operations, law enforcement cooperation and information sharing.

In terms of the economy, trade and investment, the leaders called for breakthroughs and larger-scale strategic projects in areas where Belgium has traditional strengths and Việt Nam has pressing needs, including seaport development, smart logistics chains, green energy, eco-industrial parks and climate-resilient high-tech agriculture.

General Secretary and President Tô Lâm encouraged major Belgian corporations to expand investment in Việt Nam, affirming the country’s commitment to providing a favourable and secure business environment for Belgian enterprises operating over the long term.

He also asked Belgium to continue supporting Việt Nam–EU relations, maximise the benefits of the EU–Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and urge the European Commission to soon lift its “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood over illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Both host and guest identified science and technology as an area with considerable cooperation potential, agreeing to promote joint research, technology transfer and collaboration in strategic and emerging industries, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and semiconductors.

They also underscored the importance of education–training collaboration and people-to-people exchanges, agreeing to expand educational links and promote cultural, sports and tourism exchanges, as well as practical cooperation between localities.

General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever at the talks and banquet. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

The Vietnamese leader asked Belgium to facilitate the Vietnamese community’s stable lives and integration through favourable legal and social welfare frameworks, enabling them to contribute to Belgian society and serve as a bridge between the two peoples.

On regional and international issues, the leaders stressed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and navigation and overflight freedom, security and safety, and upholding multilateralism and respect for international law. They supported ASEAN’s central role in the Asia-Pacific region and agreed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums and international organisations, particularly the United Nations, the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) and under the ASEAN–EU Strategic Partnership.

On the occasion, General Secretary and President Tô Lâm conveyed Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng’s invitation to his Belgian counterpart to visit Vietnam. PM De Wever accepted the invitation, expressing his wish to visit Việt Nam soon. — VNA/VNS