Buenos Aires (VNA) - Brazil and Vietnam have plenty of possibilities to deepen their relations, particularly in trade, investment and people-to-people connections, Secretary for Asia and the Pacific at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eduardo Paes Saboia said in his interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency's correspondents in Latin America on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties (May 8, 1989-2024).
Following is the full text of the interview.
Reporter: How do you evaluate the relations of friendship and collaboration between Vietnam and Brazil during these 35 years?
Secretary Eduardo Paes Saboia: Brazil and Vietnam have cultivated a robust relationship, firmly rooted in friendship, cooperation, and mutual respect, showcasing a series of joint achievements spanning over three decades of diplomatic ties. Vietnam has emerged as a significant partner for Brazil within Southeast Asia. Last year, exemplified our trade volume of 6.7 billion USD was record-breaking. Brazil considers Vietnam as a valuable partner of the Global South and commends its remarkable economic and social achievements in recent years.
Our bilateral relations have gained considerable momentum. The successful visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to Brazil last year was a historic first of a Vietnamese Prime Minister to Brazil ever. Leading a high-level delegation of Vietnamese authorities and a party of representative business people, the Prime Minister's visit underscored Vietnam's deep commitment to our friendship.
The excellent perspectives of the bilateral relations were also reflected in the recent exchange of business missions, such as those from Vietnam to São Paulo in 2023 and from Brazil to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi last March. These missions serve as catalysts in fostering dialogue and cooperation between our private sectors, unlocking new business opportunities, and paving the way for potential investments.
The Brazilian Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Luciana Santos visited Vietnam in November, to strengthen scientific cooperation in key areas. Less than a month ago, from April 9 to 11, Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira also visited Hanoi to uphold and build upon the positive trajectory of our bilateral relations. Ministers Mauro Vieira and Bui Thanh Son assessed our comprehensive agenda and explored ways to further enhance political dialogue, deepen economic collaboration, promote cultural exchanges and bolster trade, among other areas.
In sum, our diplomatic relations with Vietnam have matured significantly, marked by high-level visits, fruitful dialogues, and strengthened cooperation in areas such as politics, culture, education, and technology. These exchanges have deepened mutual understanding and promoted closer ties between our governments and people. Vietnam is today a key partner of Brazil.
Reporter: What do you think about the perspectives and potential of promoting bilateral ties in the upcoming time?
Secretary Eduardo Paes Saboia: The visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to Brazil last September marked a significant milestone in our bilateral relations. The signing of four agreements covering Education, Defence, Agriculture, and Diplomatic Academies laid robust foundations for strengthening even more the cooperation between Brazil and Vietnam.
Brazil and Vietnam are committed to deepening their relationship based on shared values. We advocate for an international system grounded in multilateralism, the rule of law, peaceful settlement of disputes, having the United Nations at centre-stage for global governance, stability, and prosperity. The climate crisis stands as one of the most important challenges of our era, and our two countries are aligned in our resolve to address it.
President Lula and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will meet again this November at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio. That will be another high-level opportunity for our leaders to showcase synergies between our countries. The G20 priorities under the Brazilian Presidency focus on reforming global governance, combatting inequality, and promoting energy transition while facing the climate crisis. Combined, those priorities will provide a crucial platform for the Global South to voice its concerns. Brazil deeply appreciates Vietnam's contribution to these discussions, as a specially invited guest not only to the G20 Summit, but also to the Working Groups on Agriculture; and Research and Innovation.
Additionally, our Sectoral Dialogue Partnership with ASEAN sets the stage for enhanced cooperation with Southeast Asia. We are committed to expanding our engagement with ASEAN and its member states, while also exploring new avenues of collaboration such as energy transition, science, technology, innovation, industrial policies, and agriculture. Vietnam plays a pivotal role in this agenda as a key partner of Brazil in Southeast Asia.
Reporter: What are the aspects that both nations can promote in the future to deepen ties?
Secretary Eduardo Paes Saboia: Our nations are poised to elevate our diplomatic relations to new heights, reflecting the diversity and depth of our shared agenda and the synergy of our global engagement. There are multiple opportunities for such endeavour. Brazil and Vietnam aim to promote dialogue and collaboration across various critical areas such as defence, science, technology, innovation, agriculture, environmental sustainability, technical cooperation, and energy transition.
For instance, on economic and trade relations, we have observed consistent growth in recent years. During their discussions in Brazil last September, President Lula and PM Pham Minh Chinh reaffirmed their commitment to maintain this momentum, targeting a bilateral trade volume goal of US$ 10 billion by 2025 and 15 billion USD by 2030.
During Minister Mauro Vieira's visit to Hanoi in April, he had the privilege to address the "Ethanol Talks" seminar, an initiative by the Brazilian private sector, in collaboration with relevant government agencies, aimed to foster dialogue among policymakers, industry experts and specialists, driving cooperation in the promising area of bioenergy.
Later this month, a technical mission to Vietnam from the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, following the visit of Minister Luciana Santos last November, will initiate preparations for the first meeting of the Joint Brazil-Vietnam ST&I Commission, which will enhance cooperation activities in research, development and innovation.
Despite the many achievements in the last three and a half decades, Brazil and Vietnam still have plenty of possibilities to deepen their relations. For instance, expanding and diversifying trade flows, exploring new sectors for collaboration and promoting investment opportunities; collaborating in research and development, sharing technological expertise and fostering innovation ecosystems; cooperating on sustainable development initiatives, including environmental protection, bioenergy and energy transition and sustainable agriculture practices; and fostering people-to-people connections.
In the foreseeable future, Brazil and Vietnam will continue fostering high-level engagements, promoting dialogue on regional and global issues, thus contributing to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity./.
