Hanoi (VNA) – President of the European Council (EC) António Costa arrived in Hanoi on January 28 evening, beginning his two-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of State President Luong Cuong.
He was welcomed at Noi Bai International Airport by Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture and Social Affairs Nguyen Dac Vinh, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong, Ambassador and Head of the Vietnamese Mission to the European Union (EU) Nguyen Van Thao, and EU Ambassador to Vietnam Julien Guerrier.
President Costa is accompanied by Chief Foreign Policy Advisor of the EC President Anna-Maria Boura, Foreign Policy Adviser Veronika Şentürk Musilová, and Spokesperson of the President’s Office Maria Tomasik.
President Costa’s official visit holds great importance to Vietnam–EU relations, particularly as it marks a visit by a senior EU leader to Vietnam shortly after the successful conclusion of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Ambassador Thao told the Vietnam News Agency's correspondent in Belgium.
According to the diplomat, the visit goes beyond protocol, providing an opportunity for leaders of the two sides to hold in-depth discussions on concrete and substantive cooperation programmes, with a view to elevating Vietnam–EU relations to a higher level, in line with their potential and development needs.
Meanwhile, EU Ambassador Guerrier said the visit comes at a time when Vietnam–EU relations have reached their most comprehensive and dynamic stage after a 35-year journey. From initial humanitarian assistance in the early 1990s, cooperation has expanded across a wide range of fields, creating favourable conditions to usher in what he described as a “new era” in relations between the EU and Vietnam./.
