Vietnam always promotes ties with Czech Republic: FM

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son held phone talks with his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky on July 15, during which he underlined that Vietnam always seeks to promote its relations with traditional friends, including the Czech Republic – one of the country’s priority partners in the Central Eastern Europe.

FM Son thanked the Czech Republic for providing 250,800 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam, helping the country fight the pandemic.

The two ministers highly valued positive progress in the relations between the two countries over the years through the regular exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high level.

They shared delight at the close and effective coordination between the two ministries at multilateral forums, and agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation and mutual support at international and regional organisations.

Lipavsky said that the Czech Republic considers Vietnam one of the prioritised economic, trade and investment partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

The two FMs showed pleasure at the outcomes of bilateral economic partnership, and agreed on the need to bolster the substantial and effective collaboration in areas of both sides’ strength and demand, while encouraging and creating favourable conditions for joint projects of their businesses on the foundation of optimising the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Both sides should effectively implement the results of the seventh meeting of the Vietnam-Czech Republic Inter-Governmental Committee on Economic Cooperation that was held in Prague in June, they said.

Lipavsky affirmed that the Czech Government always backs the promotion of ties between Vietnam and the EU. As the rotating chair of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2022, the Czech Republic will hasten EU agencies to consider Vietnam's proposal on removal of a “yellow card” on Vietnamese fisheries sector and EU member countries to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

On the occasion, FM Son thanked the Government and Foreign Ministry of the Czech Republic for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to settle down in the European country, contributing to strengthening the traditional friendship between the two countries.

The Czech FM hailed the role of the Vietnamese community in his country, especially their contributions to COVID-19 prevention and control in recent years.

Son took the occasion to invite Lipavsky to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time./.

VNA