Prime Minister Le Minh Hung receives Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna
WVR - On April 22, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung hosted a reception for Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna during his official visit to Vietnam. The meeting was also attended by leaders from the Government Office and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade, and Science and Technology.
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| Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. (Source: VNA) |
The Prime Minister welcomed Minister Margus Tsahkna's visit to Vietnam along with the accompanying Estonian business delegation. He congratulated Estonia on its recent development achievements, particularly its emergence as an IT hub in Central and Eastern Europe and as a leading nation in e-government development worldwide. He affirmed that Vietnam values strengthening and developing relations with traditional friends, with Estonia being a priority partner in the Baltic region and an active EU member. He extended his greetings and invited the Estonian Prime Minister to officially visit Vietnam soon.
Based on the strong relationship between the two countries and the significant potential for cooperation, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung suggested that both sides enhance exchanges and delegation visits at all levels, especially high-level ones, to bolster political trust. He called for substantive progress in economic-trade cooperation and investment, aiming to increase bilateral trade turnover in the near future. He urged Estonia to advocate for the remaining EU countries to promptly ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), contributing to breakthroughs in bilateral trade and investment, and to encourage the European Commission to lift the yellow card (IUU) on Vietnam's seafood exports. He emphasized the active implementation of the two countries' main pillars in digital transformation, digital economy, and innovation, and the strengthening of cooperation in defense-security, education, and training.
Regarding priority areas, the Prime Minister highly appreciated Estonia's strengths in technology, artificial intelligence, innovation, and digital transformation. He requested Estonia to enhance experience sharing, technology transfer, and support for Vietnam in priority areas, focusing on developing e-government, comprehensive digital transformation, building and operating data centers, and ensuring cybersecurity. He also encouraged cooperation in robotics technology, smart manufacturing, industrial automation, and AI applications to boost labor productivity and the competitiveness of Vietnam's economy.
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| Overview of the meeting. (Source: VGP) |
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna expressed his thanks to the Prime Minister for taking the time to meet. He was honoured to be the first EU Foreign Minister to officially visit Vietnam after the country completed its high-level leadership appointments and government restructuring.
He warmly congratulated Le Minh Hung on being elected Prime Minister for the 2026-2031 term by the National Assembly. Minister Margus Tsahkna expressed confidence that under Prime Minister Le Minh Hung's leadership, Vietnam would continue to develop robustly and achieve the socio-economic development goals set by the 14th National Party Congress, including the goal of achieving double-digit growth.
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| Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Estonian Foreign Minister pose for a photo. (Source: VGP) |
Minister Margus Tsahkna affirmed that Estonia highly values its relationship with Vietnam, considering Vietnam one of its most important partners in Southeast Asia. He expressed a desire to strengthen close cooperation, making the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Estonia increasingly substantive and effective.
The Minister confirmed that Estonia fully agrees with the major orientations set by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and is ready to effectively coordinate their implementation. He emphasized that Estonia will support Vietnam in training and developing high-quality human resources, especially in information technology, digital economy, and artificial intelligence. He noted that the delegation included representatives from about 10 prominent Estonian companies operating in various fields, demonstrating Estonia's keen interest in cooperating with Vietnam in a more substantive and effective manner, focusing on areas aligned with Vietnam's development needs such as digital economy, green economy, circular economy, and energy.
On this occasion, Minister Margus Tsahkna conveyed an invitation from the Estonian Prime Minister for Prime Minister Le Minh Hung to officially visit the Republic of Estonia at a convenient time.
