Stockholm (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on June 12 met with Speaker of the Riksdag (Swedish parliament) Andreas Norlén and leaders of political parties in Sweden as part of his official visit to the country.
Norlén expressed his belief that Chinh’s visit would help further deepen the traditional friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Sweden in the coming time.
Chinh emphasised that Vietnam always values and wishes to strengthen its friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Sweden.
He recalled the image of PM Olof Palme marching with a torch to protest the war in Vietnam, saying Sweden’s decision to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam was a courageous one, grounded in justice and conscience.
The Party, State, and people of Vietnam always remember Sweden’s noble gesture in providing around 3 billion USD in non-refundable aid for Vietnam, the largest among Nordic countries, Chinh said.
The aid was used meaningfully to support health care, education, and social welfare, with many symbolic projects such as the National Children's Hospital and the Bai Bang Paper Mill, the leader stressed, adding Swedish universities trained around 200 Vietnamese experts, and that people-to-people exchanges have formed a natural bond.
The PM expressed confidence that his visit would help create momentum for bilateral cooperation and elevate the bilateral relationship to a new height. Both sides will serve as bridges for each other in advancing ties with ASEAN and the EU.
The two leaders shared the view that Vietnam and Sweden should strengthen solidarity and cooperation based on their traditional friendship, through Party, Government, and Parliamentary channels as well as people-to-people exchanges, thereby contributing to the promotion of multilateralism and international solidarity.
Chinh said Swedish enterprises still have ample room to expand cooperation and investment in Vietnam, particularly in their areas of strength such as artificial intelligence, information and communications technology, and semiconductors. He highlighted Vietnam’s new policies, notably those on institutional reform, science and technology, private sector development, and international integration, aimed at removing bottlenecks, enhancing foreign investment attraction, and promoting rapid and sustainable development.
The leader also called on the Swedish parliament to help advocate for the remaining EU member states to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and for the European Commission to lift its “yellow card” on Vietnam’s seafood exports. He said Vietnam will also encourage its high-tech enterprises to invest in Sweden.
For his part, Norlén said bilateral relations have developed fruitfully, including dialogue and cooperation between the two legislatures, and affirmed Sweden’s readiness to help Vietnam fulfill its goal of becoming a high-income developed country by its centenary in 2045.
The leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues of shared concern, including the East Sea.
Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, and freedom of navigation and overflight, based on respect for the rule of law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They underscored the need to settle disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, without the use or threat of force.
On this occasion, PM Chinh conveyed the invitation from National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to Speaker Norlén to visit Vietnam. The Swedish leader accepted the invitation with pleasure./.
