Politics & Law
Vietnamese Association in Hungary hold third congress
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| Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh (r) receives State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Andrejs Pildegovics in Hà Nội yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh |
HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam always attaches importance to bolstering the traditional friendship and multi-dimensional co-operation with friends in the Baltic region, including Latvia, said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh.
He made the statement at his reception in Hà Nội yesterday for State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Andrejs Pildegovics, who is in Việt Nam for the foreign deputy ministerial-level political consultation.
Minh said he was glad to see developments in bilateral ties with Latvia, especially the official visit to the country by Vice President Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh in October 2017, and hailed the two countries’ effective co-ordination at multilateral forums.
He lauded positive developments in bilateral economic-trade co-operation while welcoming the countries’ agreement to soon negotiating the signing of important cooperation documents like those on economics, education, visa exemption for diplomatic passport holders, and mutual legal support, in an effort to perfect a legal foundation to facilitate their cooperation across various realms.
Andrejs Pildegovics affirmed that Latvia prioritises boosting the traditional friendship with Việt Nam.
He also confirmed his country’s commitment to supporting Việt Nam to step up its co-operation with the European Union, including the early signing of the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and working closely with Việt Nam in regional and international forums.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Latvia Andrejs Pildegovics conducted the political consultation under an agreement between the two foreign ministries.
Việt Nam is the biggest trade partner of Latvia in Southeast Asia, while Latvia is the biggest trade partner of Việt Nam in the Baltic region. Their two-way trade turnover hit US$166 million in 2017, ten times higher than that of 2010. — VNS
