Malaysian PM concludes official visit to Vietnam

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and PM Pham Minh Chinh visit a display of photos by Vietnam News Agency (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his spouse left Hanoi on July 21, concluding the two-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of PM Pham Minh Chinh.

During the visit, PM Anwar paid courtesy calls to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Vo Van Thuong, held talks with PM Chinh, met with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements between the two countries, and joined the official banquet.

He also attended the Vietnam-Malaysia business gathering.

During the talks and meetings, the Vietnamese leaders welcomed PM Anwar Ibrahim and his encourage to Vietnam on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties this year, and believed that Malaysia will successfully pursue the "Malaysia Mandani" strategy initiated by PM Anwar Ibrahim, and become a high-income country with sustainable development.

Leaders of the two countries expressed their satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations in recent years, especially since the upgrade of bilateral ties to a strategic partnership in 2015. Malaysia is now Vietnam's second biggest trade partner within ASEAN and the ninth largest globally. Cooperation areas directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as tourism, labour, education and training, has shown a strong recovery.

Both sides agreed to facilitate the exchange of delegations at all levels via the Party, State, Government and parliament channels, consider the possibility of establishing a mechanism for regular or periodic meetings between the two PMs under flexible forms at multilateral forums, expedite the implementation of the signed sectoral cooperation mechanisms, and strive for balanced bilateral trade with less trade barriers.

Following their talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of two documents, namely the minutes of the seventh meeting of the Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, and a memorandum of understanding between the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia.

On the occasion, PM Anwar Ibrahim together with PM Chinh and their spouses called at a book street in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district where they experienced an outdoor reading space and enjoyed Vietnamese coffee.

PM Chinh introduced and presented to PM Anwar Ibrahim the poem collection “Nhat ky trong tu” (Diary in Prison) by late President Ho Chi Minh, the book “The World People's Affection For President Ho Chi Minh", and another book “Some theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path towards socialism in Vietnam” by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

The two spouses joined various activities, such as enjoying the art of water puppetry and visiting the SOS Children's Village, a place that provides care, nurturing, and support for orphaned, abandoned, and disadvantaged children.

It was the first Vietnam visit by the Malaysian PM since he took office in December 2022, marking a new milestone and contributing to the advancement of bilateral strategic partnership./.