Prime Minister Le Minh Hung receives Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis in Hanoi
WVR - On the afternoon of July 17, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung received Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis, on the occasion of his official visit to Vietnam.
Latest
 |
| Prime Minister Le Minh Hung meets Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis. (Source: VNA) |
Welcoming Minister George Gerapetritis's visit, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung expressed confidence that the visit would further deepen the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Greece, while also promoting the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the European Union (EU).
The Prime Minister congratulated Greece on its socio-economic development achievements and its increasing international stature, particularly as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2025-2026 term. He affirmed that Vietnam always values its relationship with Greece, a traditional partner of Vietnam.
Assessing that there is still much potential for the development of bilateral relations, the Prime Minister suggested that both sides enhance delegation exchanges and contacts at all levels, especially high-level ones. He emphasized the need to effectively utilize existing cooperation mechanisms and boost economic, trade, and investment cooperation, effectively exploiting the EVFTA, strengthening business connections, and expanding cooperation in areas where Greece has strengths such as maritime economy, seaports, shipping, logistics, shipbuilding, maritime human resource training, renewable energy, and science and technology.
 |
| Prime Minister Le Minh Hung speaks at the meeting with Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis. (Source: VNA) |
The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam is ready to create favorable conditions for Greek enterprises to explore the market and make long-term investments in Vietnam.
The Prime Minister urged Greece to continue to actively advocate for the remaining EU member states to soon ratify the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and to support the European Commission in lifting the "yellow card" on Vietnamese seafood. He also suggested that both sides soon complete the legal framework for cooperation, including documents and agreements on maritime transport, labor, and economy. Additionally, he called for enhanced cooperation in culture, education, heritage conservation, people-to-people exchanges, local connectivity, and exploring the possibility of establishing a direct flight route between Vietnam and Greece.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister asked Greece to facilitate the Vietnamese community in Greece, enhancing their role as a bridge between the two countries.
 |
| Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis speaks. (Source: VNA) |
Expressing thanks to Prime Minister Le Minh Hung for the meeting, Minister George Gerapetritis conveyed greetings from the President and Prime Minister of Greece to Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and extended an invitation to visit Greece. The Minister highly appreciated Vietnam's impressive development achievements, its increasingly important role in ASEAN, and the progress in Vietnam-EU relations. He affirmed that Greece greatly values its relationship with Vietnam and stands ready to act as a bridge to promote relations between Vietnam and the EU.
Agreeing with the Prime Minister's views, the Minister stated that Greece hopes to expand cooperation with Vietnam in areas such as trade, investment, maritime, logistics, crew training, agriculture, tourism, and pharmaceuticals. He announced plans to send a business delegation to Vietnam to explore cooperation and investment opportunities.
The Minister also expressed a desire for both sides to promote labor cooperation, increase student exchanges, and enhance cultural and archaeological cooperation. He affirmed Greece's support for EVIPA and the early lifting of the "yellow card" on IUU fishing, as well as supporting the EU in removing Vietnam from the list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions.
Both sides expressed a desire to enhance coordination and mutual support at the United Nations and other multilateral forums, promote ASEAN-EU relations, and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight. They emphasized resolving disputes through peaceful means based on international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
