President Nguyen Xuan Phuc continues hectic schedule in New York
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with foreign leaders and visited Pfizer Inc. as part of his working trip to New York on September 23 (local time).
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| President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (Photo: VNA) |
On September 23 morning, the Vietnamese State leader had working sessions with representatives from countries that are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Meeting with the Chinese delegation, Phuc said a stable and healthy relationship between Viet Nam and China is an important factor to the development of each country, and contributes to peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.
As neighbours, Viet Nam and China should tighten their cooperation to ensure water resources security, cope with climate change and promote green development, he suggested.
Meeting with Russian representatives, Phuc emphasised that Russia is a leading important partner of Viet Nam, adding that he had affirmed this fact during his online talks with President Vladimir Putin last week.
He said leaders of the two countries will soon hold in-person meetings to enhance the bilateral strategic partnership.
At a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Phuc extended his thanks to the US – one of the biggest donors of COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX Facility. Through the mechanism, Viet Nam has received 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the US so far.
Blinken reaffirmed President Joe Biden’s latest commitment to donating 500 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses to other countries at the Global COVID-19 Summit which President Phuc attended on September 22.
Phuc said Viet Nam always considers the US a leading important partner, with economic, trade and investment cooperation the main pillar of the bilateral relations.
In that spirit, he suggested the two countries continue with the exchange of high-level delegations, create more favourable conditions for major US groups, especially high-tech ones, to increase their presence in Viet Nam, while ensuring stable development of trade towards a balanced trade tie.
The same day, Phuc talked over the phone with Senator Patrick Leahy, who is President pro tempore of the Senate of the US.
He lauded Leahy and the US Congress for their efforts in urging the US administration to help Viet Nam with vaccines and medical supplies, and suggested the Senator further promote cooperation between the two countries in this regard.
Phuc also thanked the Senator for his contributions to the settlement of war consequences, notably the projects on dioxin remediation at Da Nang and Bien Hoa airports, and invited him to visit Viet Nam when possible.
For his part, Leahy pledged that he will continue to support Viet Nam in the settlement of war consequences, including assistance to war and Agent Orange/dioxin victims.
He also stressed the US’s commitments to regional and global issues like climate change, COVID-19 and maritime security, saying the US will further cooperate and support countries, including Viet Nam, to deal with these challenges.
On September 22, the President had a meeting with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who is the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), during which he thanked the Queen for her support for Viet Nam, particularly in promoting inclusive finance.
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| On September 22, the President had a meeting with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who is the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA). (Photo: VNA) |
They also shared their delight at the strong growth of the Viet Nam-Netherlands relations over years. The Netherlands is now Viet Nam’s second-largest trade partner and biggest investor in the EU.
They agreed that both sides need to maintain high-level meetings and exchanges between ministries and local administrations so as to better tap the two countries’ potential and to remain as each other’s top partner in Southeast Asia and the EU.
Phuc highly appreciated the Netherlands’ active contribution to the COVID-19 vaccine-sharing COVAX Facility as well as its donation of medical supplies to Viet Nam.
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| President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) meets with his counterpart from Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio. (Photo: VNA) |
Meeting with his counterpart from Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, the Vietnamese leader suggested the two countries increase bilateral meetings and exchanges both in person and via video teleconference.
Each side should nominate an honorary consul who will act as a bridge to beef up multifaceted ties between the two nations since they are yet to open an embassy in each other’s capital city, Phuc proposed, adding that the two countries should provide a legal framework for bolstering bilateral cooperation by early concluding talks on and signing of several agreements regarding investment protection and facilitation and avoidance of double taxation.
President Phuc further said that Viet Nam stands ready to share experience and step up cooperation with Sierra Leone in agriculture as proposed by President Julius Maada Bio.
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| In the meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, President Phuc highly spoke of the development of the two countries’ long-standing and multifaceted partnership. (Photo: VNA) |
In the meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, President Phuc highly spoke of the development of the two countries’ long-standing and multifaceted partnership, saying he wants the bilateral relations to thrive further in the coming time.
Both leaders felt pleased to see the growing trade between Viet Nam and Bangladesh despite impacts of COVID-19 and agreed the two sides should maintain their existing cooperation mechanisms, such as the Viet Nam-Bangladesh Joint Commission and their Joint Committee on Trade, to soon lift the two-way trade to 2 billion USD.
Viet Nam wants to invest in Bangladesh in the fields of agriculture and fisheries, industry and handicraft, culture, education and training, tourism, and textile and garment, the Vietnamese president said, asking the Bangladeshi side to provide Vietnamese investors with broader access to these areas.
At a meeting with Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva, the Vietnamese President spoke highly of the IMF’s cooperation with Viet Nam in socio-economic development and international integration.
He also thanked the fund for joining hands with Viet Nam in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Phuc appreciated that the IMF has collaborated with the World Bank, the World Health Organisation and the World Trade Organisation to set up a special task force on COVID-19 vaccines, in an effort to promote the delivery of vaccines and medical equipment for developing countries.
He voiced a hope that the IMF will support Viet Nam in vaccine access and continue to stand side by side with the country in its development towards the goal to become a developing nation with modern industry and upper-middle-income by 2030; and a developed nation with high income by 2045, as targeted in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress.
For her part, the IMF Managing Director congratulated Viet Nam over its economic achievements in the recent past and highly valued policies by the Vietnamese Government in stabilising the macro-economy and renewing growth models.
She affirmed that the IMF will help Viet Nam surmount the difficulties triggered by the ongoing pandemic and support the country’s development.
(Source: VNA)
