Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Le Minh Hung gave a reception in Hanoi on August 24 to visiting Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna.
Welcoming the Chilean minister’s visit, which coincides with the 55th anniversary of Vietnam–Chile diplomatic relations (1971–2026), the PM affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to its traditional friendship and Comprehensive Partnership with Chile. He expressed his belief that the visit would help maintain the positive momentum in bilateral relations, serve the interests of the two countries’ people, contributing to peace, stability and development in both regions.
Minister Mackenna, for his part, expressed his pleasure at making his first visit to Vietnam as Chile’s foreign minister. He congratulated Vietnam on its impressive economic growth in recent years and expressed his wish to learn from the country’s development experience.
The FM briefed the host on the outcomes of his talks with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung. Chile regards Vietnam as one of its most important partners in Southeast Asia, he said, expressing the country’s desire to further strengthen the Comprehensive Partnership, particularly in economics, trade and investment to promote the strength of each country.
PM Hung praised the positive development of traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Chile in recent years, and called on the two sides to step up exchanges through various channels and at all levels, including Party diplomacy and parliamentary diplomacy. He urged the effective implementation of existing cooperation mechanisms between the two countries, including political consultations and the Free Trade Council; facilitation of market access for each country’s key products; and stronger cooperation in finance and banking, science and technology, and national defence and security.
The Vietnamese government leader underscored the need to strengthen connectivity in transport, logistics and supply chains, as well as coordination at multilateral and inter-regional forums and mechanisms, with a view to bringing the two economies closer together and promoting the role of Vietnam and Chile as gateways linking and integrating Southeast Asia and Latin America.
On the occasion, PM Hung conveyed greetings from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam and himself to Chilean President José Antonio Kast, and the invitation to visit Vietnam.
The FM expressed his agreement with the Prime Minister’s orientations and pledged to work closely with the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other Vietnamese partners to translate the bilateral agenda into concrete outcomes. He highlighted the potential for cooperation in agricultural trade, agriculture and high-tech agro-processing, mining and energy transition, science and technology, and education, while calling for the review and advancement of negotiations on cooperation agreements in finance, trade and combating transnational crime.
The Chilean FM also conveyed President José Antonio Kast’s invitation to Vietnam’s senior leaders, including Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, to pay an official visit to Chile in the near future. PM Hung thanked the Chilean President for the invitation and asked the two foreign ministries to arrange high-level visits at a suitable time.
Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna is on an official visit to Vietnam from August 23-25 at the invitation of Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung./.
