Hanoi (VNA) – Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung met with the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Türkiye on February 19–20 while accompanying the high-level Vietnamese delegation led by Party General Secretary To Lam to the inaugural meeting of the Gaza Board of Peace.
At his meeting with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister Trung praised the substantive progress in implementing the Vietnam–UAE Comprehensive Partnership, spotlighting the recently unveiled over-1-billion-USD hyperscale data centre project in Ho Chi Minh City between G42 and a Vietnamese investment consortium.
The UAE official revealed that Investment Minister Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi has been appointed as the focal coordinator for advancing relations with Vietnam – a designation reserved for a limited number of strategic partners.
He also voiced interest in expanding the intake of Vietnamese workers across various UAE sectors. Both sides agreed to step up cooperation in trade, tourism, science and technology through flexible, results-oriented mechanisms, while maintaining close coordination on Gaza reconstruction within the Board of Peace framework.
During his meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, the two sides committed to effectively rolling out the outcomes of State President Luong Cuong’s state visit to Egypt last August and advancing the bilateral Comprehensive Partnership. They set a target of doubling two-way trade from current levels and expanding collaboration in priority sectors such as defence and security, agriculture, science and technology, information technology, artificial intelligence and semiconductors.
The Egyptian minister called for high-level exchanges within the year and the early activation of established cooperation mechanisms, including the Intergovernmental Committee and political consultations. Both sides agreed to fast-track pre-feasibility studies toward launching negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), alongside boosting business exchanges and online connectivity forums. On Middle East issues, they shared concern over safeguarding the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and pledged to coordinate humanitarian support for Gaza.
In discussions with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Minister Trung underscored the alignment of strategic interests between the two countries as a solid platform for deeper cooperation. Minister Fidan affirmed that Türkiye highly values its relationship with Vietnam – its second-largest trading partner in ASEAN – and commended Vietnam’s constructive contributions to addressing regional hotspots.
The two ministers agreed on a range of measures to elevate ties, including intensifying high-level visits, upgrading the partnership framework, convening the Intergovernmental Committee in 2026, strengthening Party-to-Party exchanges, initiating bilateral FTA negotiations, and expanding cooperation in defence and security, defence industry, aviation and maritime connectivity. They also committed to enhanced coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums.
The meeting concluded with exchanges on regional and global developments, with both sides agreeing to work closely within the Peace Council framework to ensure effective assistance for the people of the Gaza Strip./.
