Promising future of Vietnam-Brazil cooperative relations

The article posted on website reporteasia.com wrote that Vietnam and Brazil have maintained long-lasting and stable cooperative relations since the two countries established diplomatic ties on May 8, 1989.(Photo: VNA)

Havana (VNA) - Over the past 34 years, relations between Vietnam and Brazil have continuously been developing, with enhanced political trust and mutual understanding, according to an article posted on the website reporteasia.com.

The article wrote that Vietnam and Brazil have maintained long-lasting and stable cooperative relations since the two countries established diplomatic ties on May 8, 1989.

Since then, there have been many high-level delegation exchanges between the two nations, notably, the official visit to Brazil in May 2007 by then General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nong Duc Manh and the visit to Vietnam in July 2008 by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Leaders of the two nations also met on various occasions, and pledged to further strengthen the bilateral ties.

Most recently, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with President Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the expanded G7 Summit in Japan in May 2023.

The relationship between the parliaments and the Parliamentary Friendship Groups of the two countries has also been developing, contributing to the expansion of the Vietnam-Brazil l collaboration, through the signing and implementation of 16 cooperation agreements in various fields, such as science and technology, maritime transport, civil aviation, agriculture, health, commerce, tourism, state diplomacy, cultural exchange and cooperation, according to the article.

A mechanism of the joint committee of the two countries has also been established and political consultations have been carried out between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs, promoting cooperation in areas of mutual interest, it said.

Vietnam and Brazil have maintained close coordination in international organisations and multilateral forums, especially in the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation. Vietnam fully supported Brazil's candidacy to become a member of the UN Security Council and Brazil backed Vietnam's non-permanent membership in this agency in the 2020-2021 term.

Vietnam is Brazil's leading trading partner in Southeast Asia while Brazil is the largest trading partner of Vietnam in Latin America. Despite challenges such as the global situation or the COVID-19 pandemic, the bilateral trade has been constantly increasing. The total value of bilateral trade reached a record of 6.78 billion USD last year.

According to the article, cultural and educational exchanges have been constantly promoted between the two countries, ranging from art performances to cinema and culinary exhibitions, attracting large audiences.

In terms of tourism, both Brazil and Vietnam have beautiful landscapes and unique traditional cultures, which make them attractive to tourists, it said, adding that in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of Brazilian tourists to Vietnam and vice versa.

During recent conversations, leaders at various levels agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, taking advantage of the joint committee and the political consultation mechanism, expanding the dialogue and connection between the ministries, sectors, companies and regions of both countries.

They consented to continue implementing the signed cooperation agreements and coordinate efforts to promote negotiations in areas such as trade, investment, education, technology, defence and agriculture so as to ink suitable deals at appropriate points of time.

Brazil has committed to continue prioritising the development of its relations with Vietnam, a country with great potential and a strategic location in Southeast Asia. For its part, Vietnam has reaffirmed its commitment to deepen friendship and comprehensive partnership with Brazil, hoping that it will be a bridge to connect Brazil with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and at the same time expand cooperation in the frameworks of Vietnam-MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market), Brazil-ASEAN and ASEAN-MERCOSUR in the future.

The article highlighted that the official visit to Brazil by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to reap practical progress, opening up a new and promising chapter in the bilateral relations./.