Tallinn (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse Le Thi Bich Tran and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived at Lennart Meri Tallinn airport in the capital of Tallinn on June 5 morning (local time), starting their three-day official visit to Estonia at the invitation of Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
Welcoming PM Chinh, his spouse and the Vietnamese delegation at the airport were Estonian Ambassador to China and Vietnam Hannes Hanso; Deputy Director of the Estonian State Protocol Department Sven Tolp; and Vietnamese Ambassador to Finland and Estonia Pham Thi Thanh Binh.
This is the first visit to Estonia by a Vietnamese PM since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992, aiming to promote the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries to a new level. The visit affirms Vietnam's consistent policy of always attaching importance to and wishing to strengthen and promote relations with European countries, including Estonia.
Vietnam and Estonia established diplomatic relations just one year after Estonia declared independence and separated from the Soviet Union. However, Vietnam and Estonia have not yet opened an embassy in each other's country.
After 33 years, the two countries have exchanged a number of high-level delegations and meetings; established a political consultation mechanism at the deputy minister and department head levels. During meetings, Estonia repeatedly affirmed that Vietnam is a priority partner in Southeast Asia, and its wish to further promote cooperation with Vietnam. The two countries have also actively coordinated and supported each other at multilateral forums.
Economic relations between the two sides remain modest. Trade turnover between the two countries has increased steadily over the years, but by 2024, it had reached only 73.8 million USD. Estonia now has five valid direct investment projects in Vietnam with a total investment of 280,000 USD.
Estonia has actively supported Vietnam in signing the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and is one of the first EU countries to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).
Estonia helped Vietnam train students and postgraduates during the former Soviet Union and then, continued to cooperate in training with a number of Vietnamese universities.
During the visit, PM Chinh is expected to hold talks and meetings with senior leaders of Estonia, attend a Vietnam - Estonia business forum, and visit several socio-economic and cultural establishments of the European country.
The visit is expected to open up new cooperation opportunities between the two countries, especially in the fields of information technology, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, financial technology, digital economy, cyber security, smart logistics, digital seaports, and e-government development./.
