Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng (right) meets with Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam wants to keep consolidating, expanding and deepening ties with traditional friends and strategic partners, with Belarus holding a particularly important position, Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng told Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov during a reception in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

PM Hưng said the Belarusian minister’s October 28–30 visit is an important chance to review cooperation and prepare for high-level exchanges, aiming to make the two countries’ traditional friendship and Strategic Partnership more substantive and effective.

Việt Nam always follows and congratulates Belarus on its development gains under the leadership of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, he said, praising positive results of bilateral cooperation, especially since General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm’s state visit to Belarus in May 2025.

He hailed the countries' ministries and agencies for actively identifying priority measures suited to the two sides' potential and needs and delivering on high-level commitments.

The two foreign ministries were asked to act as a bridge to connect and support ministries, localities and firms in finding information and partners and effectively following cooperation documents, schemes and projects.

Ryzhenkov, in reply, said the Belarusian President Lukashenko, Government and people always pay attention to and want to keep developing friendship and substantive cooperation with Việt Nam.

Briefing the host on his extensive talks with Vietnamese counterpart Lê Hoài Trung, Ryzhenkov said the visit offers a chance to agree on orientations and priority cooperation areas going forward.

He said decisive direction from the two governments and efforts by ministries and agencies have produced positive changes in bilateral cooperation across various fields, and that the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs always closely works with its Vietnamese counterpart bilaterally and multilaterally.

At the meeting, both sides agreed to step up all-level delegation exchanges to build political trust and create momentum for other areas, especially economic, trade, investment, education–training, culture–art, science–technology and people-to-people ties.

They welcomed direct flights linking localities and stronger showcase of the two countries’ people, history, traditions and famous landscapes to boost two-way tourism, mutual understanding and youth education, laying a foundation for long-term and sustainable relations.

The Vietnamese PM agreed with Ryzhenkov’s proposal to consider setting up trade and investment promotion centres of each country in the other to boost market connectivity and showcase products and business opportunities, and work closely on practical activities marking 35 years of diplomatic relations and 70 years since President Hồ Chí Minh’s visit to Belarus, in 2027.

The host asked the Belarusian Government and relevant agencies to continue creating supportive conditions for the Vietnamese community to live, study and work stably in the country so that they can contribute more to bilateral friendship and cooperation as well as Belarus’s socio-economic development.

He conveyed regards to President Lukashenko and PM Aleksandr Turchin. Ryzhenkov also conveyed an invitation to visit Belarus from Lukashenko and Turchin to the Vietnamese leader. — VNA/VNS