Hanoi (VNA) – New Zealand is one of Vietnam’s most important partners in the region, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung told Winston Peters, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the southwestern Pacific Ocean country, during their meeting in Hanoi on November 25.
The Deputy PM said the two countries enjoy a high level of political trust, share the goal of sustainable and mutually beneficial cooperation, and hold similar views on many strategic issues.
He highly appreciated Peters’ contributions to advancing bilateral ties, especially the upgrade of relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s visit to Vietnam in February this year.
On this occasion, the Deputy PM thanked the New Zealand Government for providing 1 million NZD (560,650 USD) to help Vietnam overcome the recent natural disasters.
He suggested that in the time to come, both sides work closely to actively implement high-level agreements with a focus on several key priorities, including further consolidating deep political trust through maintaining flexible forms of high-level exchanges and contacts; and promoting bilateral mechanisms to review and orient cooperation and strengthen information sharing. The sides should enhance coordination and mutual support in strategic issues and dialogues, while promoting defence and security cooperation in a more substantive and effective manner.
They should also strengthen economic, trade, and investment connectivity; leverage complementarities between the two economies and the network of free trade agreements to which both are parties; and step up new cooperation models in the green economy, digital economy, circular economy, and environmental response.
The host went on to propose boosting bilateral cooperation in education, science-technology, innovation, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges./.
VNA
