Hanoi (VNA) – The official visit to Finland from October 20 – 22 by Party General Secretary To Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation has a positive impact on the bilateral relationship.
This was the highest-level visit by a Vietnamese leader to Finland, reflecting Vietnam’s deep respect for its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Finland.
During talks and meetings, both sides agreed that the visit marked an important milestone in the history of Vietnam–Finland relations, emphasising that despite global uncertainty, bilateral ties continue to develop.
At their talks, Finnish President Alexander Stubb affirmed that Finland highly values the development of relations with Vietnam, describing the country as Finland’s most important trading partner in Southeast Asia.
General Secretary Lam stated that Vietnam attaches great importance to its traditional friendship with Finland, recalling the valuable support that Finland extended to Vietnam during its post-war reconstruction and development period. He expressed hope that the European country would continue to be a trusted partner and companion in Vietnam’s new growth era.
On this occasion, a joint statement was issued, officially upgrading their relations to a Strategic Partnership. Both sides lauded major achievements in bilateral ties, affirmed shared principles, and identified key directions to strengthen and deepen cooperation, for the long-term benefit of the two peoples, and for peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development in each region and the world.
They agreed to enhance high-level exchanges at all levels to consolidate political trust and mutual understanding; to identify economic cooperation as a key pillar of the Strategic Partnership; and to promote joint work in e-government, online public services, circular economy, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor technology, 5G/6G telecommunications, and green technologies. Both sides also expressed the desire to foster academic exchanges, scholarship programmes, and joint research projects.
They also agreed to boost cooperation in agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and circular economy, with an emphasis on digital transformation, resource management, and climate change response. The two countries will promote business partnerships, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people ties.
At a meeting with leading Finnish businesses, General Secretary Lam expressed confidence that the future holds vast potential. He underlined that the two sides could jointly develop a model of cooperation between an advanced Nordic economy and a dynamic Southeast Asian nation, not only at the government level but also through partnerships among enterprises, based on mutual trust, respect, and growth.
On this occasion, numerous cooperation documents were exchanged and signed between the two governments and enterprises.
According to Ambassador Pham Thi Thanh Binh, over more than five decades of diplomatic ties, Vietnam and Finland have together built a special story of collaboration – evolving from a relationship based on development aid to one of equal partnership, oriented toward a green, innovative, and sustainable future.
She emphasised that the joint statement opens a deeper, more comprehensive, and trustworthy framework of cooperation than ever before, demonstrating strong political trust and a shared vision for peace, prosperity, and sustainable development./.
VNA
