SEOUL — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc held talks with President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in in Seoul on Wednesday as part of his official visit to the country, during which the two leaders discussed orientations and measures to enhance relations between Việt Nam and the RoK.

President Moon congratulated Vietnamese people on the great achievements they have recorded in economic development and national construction.

Applauding the development of the bilateral relationship across spheres, the host leader stressed that Việt Nam is the core partner in the RoK’s New Southern Policy, and suggested the two countries advance their cooperative ties to a new level.

He expressed hope that PM Phúc will support and attend international forums to be organised by the RoK, including the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G), in Seoul in June 2020.

For his part, the Vietnamese leader congratulated the RoK on successfully organising the 30th Commemorative Summit between RoK and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the first Mekong-RoK Summit.

He rejoiced at the thriving strategic cooperative partnership between Việt Nam and the RoK, saying Việt Nam attaches great importance to the relationship and will join hands with the RoK to advance the ties in the coming years.

Host and guest agreed to consolidate and enhance mutual understanding and trust, conduct regular delegation exchanges and meetings between leaders at both central and local levels, and effectively maintain ministerial-level dialogue mechanisms in diplomacy, national security and defence.

PM Phúc invited President Moon to attend relevant high-level ASEAN conferences to be hosted by Việt Nam in 2020. The Korean President accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Reviewing outcomes of economic cooperation, the leaders shared the view that economic cooperation is the pillar and momentum of the bilateral relationship.

They reiterated the common goal of balancing two-way trade, and consented to raise the bilateral trade revenue to US$100 billion in the years to come.

PM Phúc called on the RoK to create favourable conditions for Việt Nam to increase its exports to the Northeast Asian country, especially farm produce and seafood.

He lauded the RoK as Việt Nam’s biggest foreign investor that has actively contributed to the Southeast Asian country’s socio-economic development and called on Korean firms to pour more investments in the areas of the RoK’s strength and Việt Nam’s demand, particularly high-tech, support and auto industries.

The two sides also agreed to step up partnership in development cooperation and effectively implement the official development assistance (ODA) package of $1.5 billion the RoK has committed for the 2016-20 period.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (standing, left) and President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in maritime activities and the training of boat crew training between Việt Nam's Ministry of Transport and RoK Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Ministry of Education in Seoul on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

They were delighted at the fruitful cooperation and people-to-people exchange between the two countries, emphasising that it is a solid foundation for the sustainable development of bilateral ties.

The two leaders agreed to continue encouraging and facilitating people-to-people exchanges, pay attention to and support the Vietnamese community in the RoK and the Korean community in Việt Nam, while promoting cooperation in culture, education, scientific research and sports, among others.

PM Phúc said he hopes the President, government and people of the RoK to continue supporting the Vietnamese community in the host country, especially the Vietnamese-Korean families.

The two discussed international and regional issues and agreed to increase information sharing, cooperation and mutual support at international forums like the United Nations and ASEAN, stressing the importance of ensuring peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation, and the settlement of disputes in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) by peaceful measures in line with international law.

PM Phuc welcomed the RoK’s efforts in boosting the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, and affirmed Việt Nam’s consistent policy of supporting peace, stability and denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula, and settling related issues via peaceful measures and dialogues.

President Moon congratulated Việt Nam on becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-21 tenure and ASEAN Chair 2020, and affirmed his country’s coordination with Việt Nam to fulfil the important role.

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of cooperation documents between the two sides, including a protocol amending the double taxation avoidance agreement, a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in navigation and crew training, an MoU on cooperation between the Việt Nam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) and the Korea - Investment Trade Promotion Agency (KOTRA), an MoU on cooperation to enhance capacity of the Việt Nam Development Bank between the Việt Nam's Ministry of Finance and the Korea Development Bank (KDB).

The same day, Prime Minister Phúc and his entourage visited the Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK.

The PM informed the embassy’s staff and representatives of overseas Vietnamese, workers and students of Viet Nam’s recent achievements, expressing his wish that the Vietnamese community will abide by local law, preserve the Vietnamese culture and well integrate into the South Korean society.

Also on the day, the PM met with Vietnamese young intellectuals in the RoK. Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyễn Chí Dũng attended the meeting. — VNS