Vietnam, Türkiye issue joint statement on future cooperation

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam and Türkiye issued a joint statement within the framework of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to the European nation at the invitation of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz from November 29 - 30.

The statement said this was the first official visit to Türkiye by a Vietnamese Prime Minister since the establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic relations in 1978.

The visit was of significance as it took place on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations and the 100th founding anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye.

The Vietnamese PM was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, held talks with Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, met with Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Omer Bolat, and hosted receptions for Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat and Turkish Minister of Budget and Finance Mehmet Şimşek. He also attended a business forum and had a meeting with Turkish businesspeople. 

According to the statement, the visit aimed to strengthen the friendship and cooperation between the two countries, and exchange views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues.

Expressing satisfaction at the progress achieved in bilateral relations, the two sides, in an atmosphere of amity, openness and sincerity, reiterated their determination to continue exchanges and contacts at all levels in order to further promote friendship and expand their existing cooperation in various fields, including coordination and reciprocal support at the international fora.

The Vietnamese side expressed its condolences to the Turkish Government and people over the heavy losses caused by the devastating earthquakes in February 2023, and admiration for their efforts and strong will in overcoming the consequences of the disaster.

Türkiye appreciated the valuable support of the Vietnamese Government and people in this regard, including the dispatch of 100 servicemen to join search and rescue operations, and financial support of the Government and the Vietnam Red Cross Society with total funding of 900,000 USD.

Both sides acknowledged the importance of cooperation in other spheres such as trade, investment, tourism, culture, sports, science and technology, education, civil aviation, agriculture, national defence and security, and consular affairs.

The two countries affirmed the importance they attach to economic and trade cooperation, and rejoiced at the recent positive growth of the bilateral trade turnover, with the two-way trade exceeding 2.4 billion USD last year, an increase of 26.3% from 2021.

 

In addition, they emphasised the importance of maintaining the trade ties in a more balanced fashion, and agreed to closely coordinate to achieve the goal of 4 billion USD in trade turnover by advancing trade promotion through business networking and addressing current challenges in trade.

The Vietnamese side welcomed and encouraged Turkish companies to invest in the fields of industry, hi-tech agriculture, green economy, innovation, renewable energy, infrastructure, and logistics, among others.

The Southeast Asian  nation also welcomed that the passenger terminal at Long Thanh International Airport will soon be constructed by a consortium led by a Turkish company and invited Turkish companies to undertake further investment projects in Vietnam in accordance with Vietnamese laws and regulations.

The two sides noted the potential for enhanced cooperation in the field of agriculture and expressed their commitment to engage in further discussion to expedite the relevant approval procedures for increasing trade in agricultural and animal products. They further agreed to develop Halal industry in Vietnam through experience sharing and capacity building.

In order to discuss the economic relations in a comprehensive manner, both sides expressed their desire to hold the next session of the Joint Economic Commission in the first quarter of 2024 in Ankara.

They emphasised their desire to attract and create favourable conditions for more Turkish and Vietnamese tourists to their respective countries, and agreed to exchange views on enhancing cooperation in the field of tourism and work towards encouraging private sector collaboration through fairs, symposia and conferences.

The two countries furthermore agreed on increased cooperation on civil aviation matters so as to contribute to tourism and trade as well.

On the occasion of PM Chinh’s visit, the two sides agreed to open the Turkish Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City.

Acknowledging that defence industry is an area which holds extensive potential, they agreed to increase cooperation in this field.

Both sides agreed on increasing cooperation in combatting crimes, especially transnational and organised crime and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including through information and experience exchange.

Reiterating the importance of disaster management, they agreed on promoting cooperation in technical training and experience sharing on search and rescue and relief efforts.

In order to enhance the legal framework for cooperation, the countries committed to accelerating the ongoing negotiations of bilateral agreements on defence, security, and extradition.

Within the framework of the visit, the two sides signed a number of bilateral agreements, namely the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Agriculture and Forestry Cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye; the MoU on Cooperation between the Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam; and the Letter of Intent on Cooperation between Turkish Airlines and Vietnam Airlines.

They agreed to enhance cooperation at multilateral fora, particularly at the United Nations. Both sides reiterated their support for ASEAN centrality in the region and consented to enhance cooperation between Türkiye and ASEAN, including through the ASEAN- Türkiye Sectoral Dialogue Partnership.

The sides exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern and emphasised the importance of upholding international law and the UN Charter in order to ensure peace, stability, security and development at the regional and global levels.

They noted the importance of upgrading the friendly and cooperative relationship to a new partnership framework.

Turkish leaders welcomed the Türkiye visit by PM Chinh and hailed the visit as an important milestone. Chinh expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the warm hospitality accorded to him and his delegation.

President Erdogan, Vice President Yilmaz, and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmus expressed their appreciation for the invitations of President Vo Van Thuong, PM Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, respectively, to pay official visits to Viet Nam at an appropriate time./.