Hanoi (VNA) - Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna is paying an official visit to Vietnam from August 23-25 at the invitation of Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung.
Welcoming Minister Mackenna to Vietnam, Minister Trung spoke highly of the visit, saying that it demonstrates the Chilean Government’s determination to advance the Vietnam-Chile Comprehensive Partnership as the two countries celebrate the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relations (March 25, 1971 – 2026).
He affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to strengthening ties with Chile, the first country in South America to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and a key partner of Vietnam in Latin America.
The Vietnam-Chile Comprehensive Partnership has continued to develop positively, particularly in economic and trade cooperation. Chile is Vietnam’s third-largest export market in Latin America, while Vietnam is Chile’s largest trading partner in ASEAN, he noted.
Trung expressed his hope that the two sides would further deepen political ties, strengthen mutual trust and expand substantive cooperation in areas of shared interest on the basis of mutual benefit and development, while complementing and supporting each other in the new context.
He proposed that the two foreign ministries continue to play their coordinating role in bilateral relations, focusing on such areas as increasing exchanges of delegations at all levels; strengthening ties between the two parliaments, political parties and socio-political organisations, considering these an important foundation for consolidating and developing bilateral relations; and working to organise the eighth political consultation between the two countries’ foreign ministries and the sixth meeting of the Free Trade Council at an early date.
The two sides agreed to promote business connectivity and expand cooperation and investment in areas with significant potential, including mining, green transition, the digital economy, banking and finance, culture and education, science and technology, and security and defence. They also agreed to advance new cooperation agreements to create a stronger legal framework for enhancing the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries.
Minister Mackenna, for his part, affirmed that the Chilean Government attaches great importance to and wishes to strengthen ties with Vietnam as part of its policy towards the Asia-Pacific region, particularly as the two countries have signed a bilateral free trade agreement and are both members of APEC and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), with shared interests across many areas.
Mackenna agreed with Vietnam’s proposals and affirmed that the Chilean Foreign Ministry would continue to work closely with its Vietnamese counterpart to make bilateral relations more substantive and effective.
He expressed his hope that the two sides would further strengthen economic, trade and investment ties, particularly amid the current global volatility, facilitate market access for each other’s agricultural products, and expand cooperation in technology, renewable energy and critical strategic minerals.
Regarding regional and international issues of shared concern, the two ministers agreed to strengthen coordination at international organisations and multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations.
Minister Mackenna took this opportunity to invite Minister Trung to pay an official visit to Chile in the near future. Minister Trung accepted the invitation with pleasure and proposed that the two sides continue discussions through diplomatic channels to agree on a suitable time for the visit.
As part of his visit, Minister Mackenna is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and meet with representatives of several Vietnamese businesses./.
VNA
