Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung holds talks with Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka
WVR - At the invitation of Member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka is on an official visit to Vietnam from November 11-13, 2025.
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| Party Central Committee Secretary, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung welcomes Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka on his official visit to Vietnam. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
On the afternoon of November 11, in Hanoi, Party Central Committee Secretary, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung held talks with Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka. This marks the first visit by a Solomon Islands Foreign Minister to Vietnam and is the highest-level visit between the two nations in nearly 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations (October 30, 1996), signaling a new phase in bilateral relations.
During the talks, both Ministers expressed their delight at the continued positive development of friendly and cooperative relations between Vietnam and Solomon Islands over nearly three decades since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1996. They particularly noted the close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially within the United Nations framework.
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| Party Central Committee Secretary, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, and Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka pose for a commemorative photo before the talks. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Foreign Minister Trung affirmed that Vietnam values its relations with South Pacific countries, including the Solomon Islands—a nation with significant geostrategic importance and abundant marine resources. He praised Solomon's open foreign policy of "being friends with all countries" and thanked Solomon for supporting Vietnam's candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council for the 2026-2028 term and for sending a delegation to attend the signing ceremony of the UN Convention on Cybercrime (Hanoi Convention).
The Vietnamese Minister proposed enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, fisheries, building materials, and human resource development. He shared that the Vietnamese Government is keen on sustainable fisheries development and wishes to increase cooperation with Solomon in this field. He urged the Solomon government to facilitate licensing for Vietnamese enterprises to fish in Solomon's waters. Conversely, Vietnam is ready to send experts to assist Solomon in agriculture and fisheries, encouraging businesses to invest in Solomon by building seafood processing plants for export, contributing to sustainable supply and value chains.
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| Party Central Committee Secretary, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung speaks at the talks. (Photo: Thành Long) |
For his part, Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka expressed admiration for Vietnam's remarkable economic and social development and highlighted Vietnam's increasingly important role in the Asia-Pacific region. He stated that Solomon is actively expanding relations with partners to foster sustainable national development and is eager to learn from Vietnam's experiences.
Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka shared that Solomon wishes to enhance trade cooperation and import Vietnam's strong products such as rice and building materials. He welcomed Vietnamese businesses that have initially succeeded in Solomon, contributing positively to the island nation's development. He expressed hope that Vietnamese enterprises will continue to invest in Solomon, particularly in infrastructure construction, mineral exploitation, renewable energy production, and battery manufacturing.
The two ministers agreed to further promote substantive cooperation in potential areas such as agriculture, fisheries, construction, tourism, and mineral exploitation. They appreciated the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Cooperation Framework between the two governments, which provides an important foundation for guiding future cooperation. They also committed to pushing for the early signing of a visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders, as well as other agreements like the Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement and the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.
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| Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka speaks at the talks. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Discussing global and regional situations, the two ministers shared that the international landscape is becoming increasingly complex. Multilateralism and multilateral institutions face numerous challenges, and many global agendas, including those crucial to Solomon and Vietnam like sustainable development and climate change response, lack sufficient resources. In this context, both sides share an interest in upholding multilateralism and international law, while emphasizing the role of the United Nations and regional organizations such as ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
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| Overview of the talks. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
The Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade highly appreciated Vietnam's active and important role in ASEAN and the region. He welcomed ASEAN's expansion of cooperation with South Pacific countries and expressed a desire to become an ASEAN observer.
Both ministers reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight, respecting international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
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| Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, and Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka exchange the memorandum on the Cooperation Framework between the two governments. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
