General Secretary, President To Lam holds phone talks with Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin
WVR - On May 11, at the Party Central Committee Headquarters, General Secretary and President To Lam held phone talks with Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin.
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| General Secretary and President To Lam. (Source: VNA) |
General Secretary and President To Lam highly appreciated the timing of the call, coinciding with the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. On this occasion, he congratulated Guy Parmelin on his re-election as Swiss President for a second term. He affirmed that Vietnam always values its friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Switzerland, expressing his hope for both sides to continue close coordination, effectively implement, and further deepen the Comprehensive Partnership framework established in January 2025.
He pointed to Vietnam’s goal of becoming a high-income, developed country by 2045 with annual growth of 10% or higher, and reiterated the country’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, resilience, multilateralisation and diversification, affirming that Vietnam considers Switzerland one of its leading partners in Europe and wants it to remain a trusted companion in Vietnam’s new development era.
For his part, President Guy Parmelin congratulated General Secretary To Lam on being elected President by the 16th National Assembly. He highlighted Vietnam's rapid and comprehensive development achievements, which have “impressed the world”, and affirmed that Switzerland always values and wishes to further strengthen its cooperative relations with Vietnam in the process of reform and achieving national development goals in the new phase.
The two leaders agreed that in the context of the rapidly evolving, complex, and unpredictable global situation, it is even more crucial for the two countries to enhance dialogue, consolidate political trust, and deepen multifaceted cooperation.
Swiss President agreed with the four key cooperation directions proposed by General Secretary and State President To Lam, focusing on enhancing political trust through regular exchanges and contacts at all channels and levels, effectively implementing the Comprehensive Partnership framework. They aim to make breakthroughs in trade and investment cooperation commensurate with the potential and status of both countries. Additionally, they seek to leverage science and technology as a new pillar of bilateral cooperation, prioritizing joint research projects in agriculture, biotechnology, green energy, and the digital economy, while making security and defense cooperation a key focus of bilateral relations.
The leaders also emphasized the importance of accelerating negotiations and signing the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), of which Switzerland is a member, to create new momentum for bilateral economic, trade, and investment cooperation.
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| Overview of the phone talks between General Secretary and President To Lam and Swiss Confederation President. (Source: VNA) |
General Secretary and President affirmed that Vietnam values and is ready to discuss intellectual property with Switzerland and other partners in accordance with international trade regulations. He proposed Switzerland to share experiences and support Vietnam in developing international financial centres and the fintech sector, especially in digital finance, blockchain, digital assets, and sustainable finance. He also expressed hope that Switzerland will continue to facilitate the Vietnamese community in Switzerland to stabilize their lives, integrate, and develop, thereby contributing to fostering the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Regarding multilateral cooperation, the two leaders agreed to enhance coordination at international forums and within the United Nations framework to address international issues of mutual concern based on respect for international law, for peace, stability, and prosperous development in the region and the world.
On this occasion, General Secretary and State President To Lam extended a cordial invitation to President Guy Parmelin to visit Vietnam, which the Swiss President gladly accepted.
