Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted separate receptions in Hanoi on February 7 for Pakistani Ambassador Kohdayar Marri and Thai Ambassador Urawadee Sriphiromya, who recently took up their diplomatic posts in Vietnam.
Meeting Ambassador Marri, PM Chinh lauded his swift engagement in fostering Vietnam-Pakistan relations, particularly in the realms of culture, arts, and religion, which are key to raising mutual understanding between the two nations.
Vietnam and Pakistan hold vast cooperation potential, which, if fully explored, could further deepen ties, contributing to peace, stability and cooperation not only between South Asia and Southeast Asia, but also across the broader Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean, he said.
He suggested the ambassador actively serve as a bridge between ministries, agencies, localities, and businesses of both countries. This active engagement would further facilitate delegation exchanges and promptly resume bilateral cooperation mechanisms, starting with the Joint Trade Committee.
The two sides should strengthen economic-trade, investment collaboration on the back of their potentials and strengths, toward lifting two-way trade to over 1 billion USD, while expanding coordination across culture, education-training, tourism, and people-to-people exchange, he said.
Marri, in response, pledged to do his best to further deepen the traditional Vietnam-Pakistan friendship for mutual benefit, noting that many Pakistani businesses are showing increased interest in the Vietnamese market.
He also expressed wish to boost locality-to-locality and business-to-business connectivity, launch diverse forms of cooperation, and popularise Pakistan’s culture, people, famous landscapes, and heritage in Vietnam and vice versa.
At the reception for Ambassador Sriphiromya, PM Chinh affirmed that the Vietnamese Government always facilitates her role in promoting the increasingly robust Enhanced Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
As Vietnam and Thailand will celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026, the PM urged the diplomat to enhance delegation exchanges, emphasising his hope to welcome the Thai PM for an official visit this year.
Chinh proposed the two sides maintain the effectiveness of existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms, with a focus on the Three Connections strategy based on mutual benefits.
He also called for stronger tourism cooperation, infrastructure connectivity, and security-defence collaboration, including joint efforts against terrorist and reactionary organisations. Additionally, he emphasised the need to ensure that no individual or organisation is allowed to use one country's territory to act against the other.
The PM urged the ambassador to play a more active role in promoting trade and investment, as well as enhancing economic, business-to-business, and locality-to-locality links between the two countries.
The leader used the occasion to thank the Thai Government for facilitating the preservation and development of relic sites and museums dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh, as well as the Vietnamese Street in Thailand; and for supporting the Thai community of Vietnamese origin in maintaining stable livelihoods and integrating into the Thai society.
In reply, Sriphiromya conveyed regards from Thai leaders to PM Chinh and affirmed her commitment to promoting high-level visits between the two countries in 2025, including visits to Vietnam by the Thai PM and the President of the Thai National Assembly.
She also pledged to make every effort to advance the friendship and the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between the two nations during her tenure.
The ambassador agreed that the two sides should step up cooperation within the ASEAN framework, as well as at other regional organisations where both are members. /.
