New York (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam had meetings with Ghanaian President John Mahama, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) Khalilur Rahman in New York, on September 22 (local time), as part of his trip to attend the high-level general debate of the UNGA 81 and conduct bilateral activities in the US.
At the meeting with General Secretary and President Lam, the Ghanaian President expressed his impression at Vietnam’s strong development and transformation, affirming that Vietnam has been an inspiration for African countries in their past struggles for national independence as well as their current national development efforts. He showed his wish for Vietnam to support Ghana in agriculture, particularly rice cultivation.
General Secretary and President Lam agreed with Ghana’s proposals, saying that he will direct relevant agencies to soon implement them in an effective and substantive manner. The two leaders agreed to continue close coordination in multilateral diplomacy in the coming time, particularly at the UN.
At the meeting with the Vietnamese Party and State leader, PM Tshering Tobgay expressed his delight at the development of Vietnam-Bhutan friendship, particularly the state visit to Vietnam by the King and Queen of Bhutan in August 2025, which he described as a historic milestone opening a new chapter in bilateral cooperation. The PM affirmed that he will direct relevant agencies to closely coordinate with Vietnam to increase all-level exchanges and implement the outcomes of the King and Queen’s visit.
General Secretary and President Lam asserted that Vietnam always attaches importance to and wishes to further promote its friendship with Bhutan in an increasingly effective and practical manner for the benefit of the two peoples. He therefore proposed the two sides establish a bilateral cooperation mechanism, with the two foreign ministries coordinating to soon set up an exchange mechanism to promote the effective implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Cooperation Framework between the two countries.
PM Tobgay agreed with General Secretary and President To Lam’s proposal to facilitate Vietnamese businesses’ expansion of investment in Bhutan. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in healthcare and education, as well as cultural, artistic and tourism exchanges in various forms; study the early establishment of direct air services between the two countries; and promote people-to-people exchanges. They also agreed to continue promoting collaboration in religious affairs, particularly those related to Buddhism.
Discussing regional and international issues of shared concern, the two leaders reached a consensus on maintaining close coordination at multilateral forums such as the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement and inter-parliamentary forums of which the two parliaments are members; and promoting South-South cooperation.
Meanwhile, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressed his pleasure at meeting General Secretary and President Lam again. Speaking highly of Vietnam-Vatican relations, he thanked Vietnamese authorities for creating favourable conditions and providing active support for the stable and effective operation of the Holy See’s Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam. He expressed his confidence that the two sides will continue to maintain the positive momentum of their relations, work towards new progress in the future in a manner that serves their common interests and meets the aspirations of the Catholic community.
General Secretary and President Lam acknowledged and spoke highly of the positive contributions made by the Catholic Church of Vietnam in such areas as education, healthcare, social welfare, and charitable and humanitarian activities. He agreed on the need to increase contacts to further deepen and broaden Vietnam-Vatican relations. The top Vietnamese leader also proposed the Holy See encourage the Catholic Church of Vietnam to effectively uphold patriotism and stand alongside the nation in contributing to national construction and development.
The two leaders spoke highly of contacts and exchanges at all levels in recent years, which have helped strengthen mutual trust and laid a foundation for the long-term development of bilateral relations. On that basis, they agreed to continue high-level delegation exchanges and effectively implement the Joint Working Group mechanism. They also shared support for multilateralism and respect for international law towards a peaceful world and sustainable development.
At the meeting with UNGA 81 President Khalilur Rahman, General Secretary and President To Lam congratulated him on his election to this position and spoke highly of the theme of the 81st session, saying that it aptly reflects the urgent need to deliver concrete, fair and practical outcomes for all countries and peoples.
Sharing Vietnam’s major development orientations, the General Secretary and President emphasised that the country is vigorously implementing strategic policies to improve its institutions and renew its development model, with science and technology, innovation and digital transformation serving as key drivers. Vietnam strives to become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, and a developed, high-income country by 2045; and wishes to turn its internal strength and experience into more practical commitments and contributions to peace, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world.
Recalling Vietnam’s proactive and active contributions to important mechanisms and UN peacekeeping operations, he affirmed that Vietnam stands ready to closely coordinate and make positive contributions to the priorities and initiatives of the UNGA 81 President to realise these goals. Vietnam is ready to cocoordinate negotiations on documents, initially the process of developing the outcome document of the fourth UN Ocean Conference (UNOC4), to be co-hosted by the Republic of Korea and Chile in 2028.
General Secretary and President Lam proposed the UNGA promote discussions on solutions for middle-income countries, particularly regarding access to finance, technology and knowledge for sustainable development; support green and digital transitions and the transformation of development models; promote the establishment of a cooperation framework for global governance of artificial intelligence (AI), thereby ensuring inclusiveness, transparency and broad participation by countries, fully reflecting the concerns and interests of developing countries, promoting equitable access to technology and narrowing the digital divide; and advance new initiatives to respond to climate change.
UNGA 81 President Khalilur Rahman expressed his sincere appreciation for and spoke highly of Vietnam’s active support, while voicing deep concern over the declining trust in the UN. He called for a stronger voice for countries of the Global South, with the UNGA serving as an important forum for articulating the views and protecting the interests of developing countries. Reaffirming his mission, the UNGA President stressed his determination to restore strategic trust in multilateralism and the central role of the UN.
The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues of shared concern and agreed to support the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in continuing to uphold its central role in the regional security and development architecture, building a resilient, inclusive and sustainable ASEAN Community, and particularly supporting the bloc’s positions and efforts in addressing regional issues.
On the occasion, General Secretary and President Lam invited the UNGA 81 President to visit Vietnam at a convenient time./.
