Vietnamese, Chilean foreign ministries hold political consultation

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (R) and Secretary General of Foreign Policy of the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alex Wetzig Abdale. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son hosted a reception in Hanoi on October 21 for Secretary General of Foreign Policy of the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alex Wetzig Abdale, who has been on an official visit to Vietnam to co-chair the 7th political consultation between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

The minister expressed his delight at the practical development of the Vietnam-Chile traditional friendship and comprehensive partnership in the recent past despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having spoken highly of the results of the 7th political consultation co-chaired by his assistant Le Thi Thu Hang and Abdale, Son suggested both sides continue implementing important contents of the bilateral agenda, especially promoting the exchange of high-level delegations and meetings as well as between ministries, agencies and businesses.

He proposed effectively upholding existing cooperation mechanisms such as the Political Consultation and Free Trade Council; encouraging the two countries’ enterprises to access the other's markets; making the most of signed bilateral and multilateral legal frameworks, particularly the Vietnam-Chile Free Trade Agreement; and expanding new cooperation areas such as climate change response, renewable energy and food security.

Abdale highly appreciated Vietnam's achievements in containing the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining economic growth and ensuring social security.

He congratulated Vietnam on securing a seat at the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 tenure and other important organs of the UN.

Chile always treasures and wants to further deepen its traditional friendship and cooperation with Vietnam in politics-diplomacy, economy-trade, culture-education, science-technology, and people-to-people exchanges, the official said.

He underscored the importance of cooperation in the process of ratifying implementing the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and strengthening the development partnership between Chile and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Assistant to Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang (right) and Secretary General of Foreign Policy of the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alex Wetzig Abdale. (Photo: VNA)

At the political consultation, the two sides informed each other about their respective countries' situation and discussed measures to deepen the Vietnam-Chile friendship and comprehensive cooperation as well as ties between the two foreign ministries in the near future.

They agreed to continue working closely together to promote the exchange of high-level delegations and meetings, maintain the efficiency of existing cooperation mechanisms, and encourage linkages between the two countries’ ministries, agencies, localities and businesses.

On global and regional issues of shared concern, they agreed to a view that international differences and disputes should be settled via peaceful measures in line with the UN Charter and international law.

As both Vietnam and Chile have been elected to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 tenure, the two sides pledged to work closely together at international organisations and multilateral forums of which both nations are members in order to protect legitimate interests of their people and contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world./.