Deputy PM, FM Bui Thanh Son's visit to UAE: Elevating Vietnam’s position, realizing commitments

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan during the Vietnamese Prime Minister's visit to the UAE in October 2024. (Photo: Nhat Bac)

Could you share the significance and key focuses of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son's working visit to the UAE, where he will attend the World Governments Summit (WGS) 2025 and conduct bilateral activities?

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son's visit to the UAE holds great significance, especially as the two countries have recently upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership and signed the Vietnam-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's highly successful visit to the UAE in October 2024.

This visit reaffirms Vietnamese Government’s determination and efforts to strengthen ties with the UAE and the broader Middle East region. Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son is scheduled to meet with UAE high-ranking leaders,heads of investment funds, and executives of major corporations to discuss ways to effectively implement commitments and cooperation agreements. The visit aims to maximize opportunities arising from bilateral cooperation, contributing to Vietnam’s national development and economic growth.

In addition to bilateral discussions, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son will attend the 12th World Governments Summit, themed "Shaping Future Governments" held in Dubai from February 11-13, 2025.

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Deputy PM Bui Thanh Son to attend World Government Summit in UAE

According to the organizers, the Summit is expected to welcome around 140 government delegations, with more than 6,000 participants, including over 30 heads of state, 400 ministers, and representatives from 80 international organizations.

Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son is set to deliver a keynote speech at the discussion session "Emerging economies: Leveraging digital innovation and renewable energy to drive economic growth and competitiveness." He will also give an opening address at the session "Action towards the millennium goals: Vietnam’s experience and achievements in realizing sustainable development goals." Additionally, he will hold meetings on the occasion of the Summit with various national leaders, international organizations, and major corporations in technology and innovation.

Vietnam’s participation in the Summit will help enhance its international standing, promote its achievements and development strategies, and underscore the Government’s commitment to sustainable development and social welfare, with people at the center. The Summit will provide a platform to exchange experiences, identify global trends in sustainable development and governance, and explore ways to accelerate traditional and emerging growth drivers, such as digital transformation, green transition, semiconductors, big data, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and clean energy.

As part of his visit, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son will also attend and co-host the inauguration of the "Vietnamese Soul" art and ao dai exhibition with the UAE Minister of Culture. Organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE, this cultural event will showcase Vietnam’s distinctive artistic and cultural heritage, contributing to Vietnam’s cultural and tourism promotion efforts and strengthening people-to-people diplomacy between the two nations.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum witnessed the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Vietnam and the UAE. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

The Vietnam-UAE Comprehensive Partnership and the Vietnam-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) are still "hot topics." During his visit to the UAE in October 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that both countries must make full use of "time and intellect" to immediately implement concrete actions. How has this process been initiated, and what are the visions and prospects ahead, Ambassador?

The outcomes of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to the UAE in October 2024 can be considered historic, laying a critical foundation for advancing Vietnam-UAE relations into a new phase of development. Immediately after the visit, both sides took concrete steps, demonstrating a firm commitment to translating agreements into action, in line with the principle of “say it, do it; commit to it, implement it.”

On Vietnam’s side, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son have provided clear and specific directives to ministries, sectors, local authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE, and relevant organizations to operationalize the Comprehensive Partnership between Vietnam and the UAE.

Notably, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son's visit to the UAE is packed with high-level engagements, including meetings with UAE leaders, investment funds, and corporations to explore concrete measures for strengthening cooperation across various sectors. This visit also underscores Vietnam’s strong determination to maximize "time and intellect" for swift implementation, ensuring tangible progress in bilateral relations.

On the UAE’s side, Investment Minister Mohamed Alsuwaidi has been designated as the lead Minister for Vietnam-UAE cooperation and visited Vietnam in early February. He reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to playing a more active role in promoting bilateral cooperation, particularly in key and high-potential sectors for both countries.

Furthermore, numerous UAE corporations and enterprises have recently visited Vietnam to explore investment opportunities. The UAE has shown strong interest in areas such as high technology, artificial intelligence, energy, and logistics. The country highly values Vietnam’s investment and business environment, and several promising cooperation projects are currently under discussion between UAE and Vietnamese partners.

I am confident that with the determination of both countries' leaders and the concrete steps being taken, the future of the Vietnam-UAE Comprehensive Partnership looks increasingly bright, paving the way for greater economic and strategic collaboration.

Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son received UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Alsuwaidi during his visit to Vietnam on February 8, 2025. (Photo: Minh Ngoc)

Ambassador, the UAE has become Vietnam's first Comprehensive Partner in the Middle East. What does this signify for Vietnam's efforts to strengthen ties with a region that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has repeatedly emphasized as "highly important to Vietnam?"

With its strategic geopolitical position, abundant natural resources, and strong financial capital, the Middle East has increasingly drawn significant global attention.

Following the foreign policy and economic diplomacy directions of the Party and the State, particularly through the “Vietnam-Middle East-Africa Relations Development Plan (2016-2025),” Vietnam’s relevant agencies have actively pursued various initiatives to expand cooperation and strengthen ties with Middle Eastern partners.

Notably, as previously discussed, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia from October 27 to November 1, 2024, marked a historic milestone, opening a new chapter in Vietnam’s relations with these three Gulf nations and the Middle East as a whole.

During this visit, Vietnam and the UAE officially upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership, making the UAE the first country in the Middle East and Africa to establish such a framework with Vietnam. This expansion brought Vietnam’s global network of Comprehensive Partnerships to 14 countries.

Additionally, the UAE became the first Arab nation to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with Vietnam in just over 15 months of formal negotiations. These remarkable achievements in Vietnam-UAE cooperation serve as a major catalyst for Vietnam to further strengthen ties and elevate relations with other Middle Eastern partners, expand its market access, and attract investment for national development.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the UAE Nguyen Thanh Diep paid a courtesy call on UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in UAE)

With these new milestones in bilateral relations, what key initiatives is the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE planning, particularly in economic diplomacy to support development?

To sustain and accelerate the positive momentum in Vietnam-UAE relations, the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE is fully aware of its responsibilities and is committed to fulfilling its mission to the highest level, as entrusted by the Party and the State.

In the coming period, the Embassy will focus on three key directions:

First, strengthening high-level political exchanges and engagements. The Embassy will continue to facilitate visits and interactions between leaders of both countries to further solidify the political foundation of bilateral relations. The immediate priority is to ensure the successful organization of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son's visit to the UAE. Additionally, the Embassy will actively coordinate with UAE authorities to arrange reciprocal high-level visits, while also fostering cultural, artistic, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Second, enhancing economic cooperation and trade facilitation. The Embassy will work to increase information exchange on market needs and actively support businesses and organizations from both countries in expanding partnerships across trade, energy, green transition, and digital transformation. It will also keep Vietnamese enterprises informed about international events in the UAE, helping them showcase products and access the UAE’s high-standard market. The long-term goal is to increase bilateral trade to USD 20 billion.

A significant upcoming event is the Vietnam-UAE Business Forum, scheduled for April 10, 2025, in Abu Dhabi. The Embassy, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will host the forum with around 400 guests, including government officials, business leaders, industry experts, major UAE retailers, and distribution networks.

Third, accelerating the implementation of the Vietnam-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The Embassy will intensify engagements with UAE authorities to fast-track CEPA’s enforcement, ensuring Vietnamese goods gain deeper access to the Middle East market. Additionally, efforts will be made to attract financial investment from UAE sovereign wealth funds and private investors into Vietnam.

Thank you, Ambassador!

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