Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh. — Photo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh held a virtual discussion on Wednesday with New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta, during which they agreed to promote the role of the two foreign ministries in bolstering co-operation between Việt Nam and New Zealand.

Both expressed their satisfaction that the partnership established in July 2020 between the two countries is developing.

Mahuta congratulated Việt Nam on the success of the 13th National Party Congress and on its role as ASEAN Chair in 2020 and as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2020-2021.

She also praised Việt Nam’s achievements in implementing the dual goals of COVID-19 containment and socio-economic development.

For his part, Minh expressed his belief that New Zealand will be one of the leading countries in successfully controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and restoring economic growth.

The two officials agreed to strengthen high-level exchanges and meetings, promote two-way investment, enhance the efficiency of the economic-trade co-operation commission mechanism, and compile and sign an action programme for implementing the Việt Nam-New Zealand Strategic Partnership in 2021.

Việt Nam and New Zealand will foster official development assistance co-operation, implement an action plan on defence co-operation in 2018-21, promote links between schools and universities in the two countries, restore tourism co-operation, and promote people-to-people exchanges.

The two nations will also beef up co-ordination at multilateral forums, including supporting candidacies for UN agencies and organisations, as well as coordinating in the implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Minh pledged to work closely with New Zealand to implement APEC Year 2021.

He also took the occasion to invite Minister Mahuta to visit Việt Nam at an appropriate time. — VNS