New York (VNA) – Party General Secretary and State President To Lam met with President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, President of Finland Alexander Stubb, and Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah in New York on September 24 (local time), on the sidelines of the UN Summit of the Future and the High-Level General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly’s 79th session.
Meeting the Bulgarian President, Lam affirmed that Vietnam always values and wishes to further strengthen its multifaceted cooperation with Bulgaria. Vietnam always appreciates and remembers the Bulgarian people's assistance to Vietnam in the past struggle for independence and in the current national construction, he stressed.
He welcomed President Rumen Radev’s plan to visit Vietnam and suggested continued support for the Vietnamese community in Bulgaria to settle down their lives, successfully integrate into the host society, and become a bridge to foster bilateral relations.
The Vietnamese leader urged both countries to maximise the potential of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to elevate their bilateral ties. He also called on Bulgaria to advocate for the swift ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by EU member states and prompt the European Commission to lift the "yellow card" warning on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing on Vietnam's seafood exports.
The Bulgarian President responded positively to Lam's proposals, underscoring Bulgaria's dedication to its relationship with Vietnam. He expressed personal enthusiasm for his forthcoming visit and pledged to boost cooperation in areas such as health care, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, IT, agriculture, and natural resources and environmental management.
Bulgaria, he added, is ready to welcome Vietnamese workers.
Both sides agreed to jointly hold cultural and art activities to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year.
At his meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, the Party General Secretary and State President affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to strengthening the two countries’ traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation. He expressed gratitude to the Finnish government and people for their support during Vietnam's past hardships and in its development journey, particularly in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Lauding Finland's ratification of the EVIPA, Lam noted that it will create new cooperation opportunities for businesses from both nations.
On this occasion, he proposed that both sides continue maintaining and boosting all-level exchanges, further reinforcing the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and expanding collaboration in education, training, and culture-sport exchanges to enhance their people’s mutual understanding and friendship.
The top leader of Vietnam also called on the Finish side to continue paying attention to the situation in the East Sea and supporting the protection of nations’ legitimate rights and interests under international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
President Stubb praised positive developments in the bilateral relationship and affirmed Finland’s commitment to deepening cooperation with Vietnam.
He noted that the European nation would continue to encourage its enterprises to invest in potential sectors in Vietnam, such as telecommunications, renewable energy, water management, forest technology, and information technology. He also expressed his hope that Vietnam would continue to serve as a bridge in fostering relations between Finland and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Both leaders agreed to work closely together to fully leverage the opportunities presented by the EVIPA, while continuing to enhance cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums, particularly at the UN and within the ASEAN-EU partnership framework.
They also discussed several international and regional issues of shared concern.
At the meeting with Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, Lam affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to and wishes to promote the good friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Kuwait. He suggested that the two sides continue to exchange all-level delegations and effectively implement existing cooperation mechanisms.
“Vietnam is willing to welcome Kuwaiti enterprises to increase investment in Vietnam in new areas such as green growth, climate change response, and Halal food,” he noted.
The Kuwaiti Crown Prince appreciated Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements after nearly 40 years of Doi Moi (renewal) and affirmed that Kuwait considers Vietnam one of the leading partners in the Southeast Asian region.
Kuwait is ready to expand cooperation in tourism, labour and Halal food with Vietnam and support the country to strengthen cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), he said.
The Crown Prince agreed to coordinate with Vietnam to handle difficulties at the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex in the central province of Thanh Hoa, considering this a project of symbolic significance for the success of bilateral relations./.
