Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki to enhance energy security cooperation
WVR - On the morning of March 17, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki.
Latest
 |
| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh receives Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki. (Source: VGP) |
The Prime Minister called on Japan to enhance cooperation and support Vietnam in energy and petroleum to jointly overcome difficulties amid the Middle East conflict affecting the crude oil supply chain.
During the meeting, he reiterated and expressed gratitude to the Japanese Government, agencies, organizations, and businesses for their support in the construction and development of the Vietnam Space Centre, which was recently inaugurated.
The Prime Minister was pleased to note that the Vietnam-Japan relationship, entering its third year after being upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, continues to develop substantively and comprehensively across all fields.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh appreciated the efforts and positive contributions of the Ambassador in promoting bilateral relations over nearly two years since taking office in Vietnam in May 2024.
Conveying greetings, well-wishes, and invitations from General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the Emperor, Empress, and Prime Minister of Japan for an early visit to Vietnam, the Prime Minister affirmed that there are no obstacles in the Vietnam-Japan relationship. The year 2026 holds significant importance for both countries as they enter a new development phase with breakthrough programs and plans.
The Prime Minister urged the Ambassador to further promote political trust between the two countries through high-level delegation exchanges and the implementation of dialogue mechanisms between ministries and sectors; to strengthen economic, trade, investment, defense, security, education, and training cooperation, including management and labor training, culture, tourism, local cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges; to closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums and mechanisms; and to expand cooperation in new fields such as science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, green transition, semiconductors, and energy.
Discussing the increasingly complex security developments in the Middle East, especially the rising risks related to the Hormuz Strait affecting the global economy and the crude oil supply chain from this region to some Asian markets, including Vietnam and Japan, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that he had sent a letter to Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi requesting Japan to consider appropriate support measures.
Japan could directly support by providing a quantity of crude oil to Vietnam from its reserves or indirectly by allowing the Nghi Son Refinery to diversify its input oil sources from other partners, contributing to ensuring Vietnam's energy security and avoiding negative impacts on businesses from both countries involved in the project.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister requested the Ambassador to advocate for restructuring the Nghi Son Refinery in terms of finance and production inputs.
In the spirit of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, the Prime Minister requested Japan to facilitate Vietnam's access to oil from Japan's 80 million barrel reserve to mitigate the impact of the Middle East conflict on fuel prices.
Regarding the Block B - O Mon Gas Project Chain cooperation, the Prime Minister appreciated Japan's cooperation in the Block B Gas Project and the O Mon III Thermal Power Plant Project, urging the Ambassador to discuss with Japanese businesses to expedite the O Mon II Thermal Power Plant Project to ensure it is ready to receive Block B gas as committed.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the Japanese government to share and facilitate Vietnam's purchase of aviation fuel from Japan's reserves, expressing confidence that with mutual support and assistance, Vietnam and Japan will not only overcome current challenges but also strengthen their friendly and solid bilateral cooperation.
 |
| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requests Japan to support Vietnam in ensuring energy security. |
Thanking the Prime Minister for the meeting, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki assessed that the Vietnam-Japan relationship is increasingly developing, with significant contributions from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in his current and previous roles.
Agreeing with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's assessment of the impact of the Middle East situation on the global economy, including Vietnam and Japan, Ambassador Ito Naoki stated that Japan is actively discussing with Vietnamese agencies about bilateral cooperation, including sharing and cooperation in the energy sector.
Confirming that he will report to the Japanese government and relevant agencies about the Prime Minister's proposals related to supporting Vietnam in ensuring energy security, the Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam noted that Japan has decided to open and call on G7 countries to open oil reserves to increase the supply of oil to the market.
Agreeing with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's proposals to support the diversification of input oil and restructure the Nghi Son Refinery, as well as to promote the Block B - O Mon Gas Project Chain, support aviation fuel, Ambassador Ito Naoki also stated that Japan is positively considering, arranging finances, and resolving difficulties for Japan's LNG power projects in Vietnam under the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative, thereby helping Vietnam ensure energy security.
Expressing interest and appreciation for Vietnam's recent reforms and future development strategy, especially the goal of achieving a growth rate of 10% or more, Ambassador Ito Naoki affirmed that Japan will continue to accompany Vietnam in this process, especially in fields such as science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, and green transition.
Ambassador Ito Naoki shared that Japan is very interested in and promotes cooperative activities with Vietnam, such as organizing the Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum; organizing economic forums, Vietnam-Japan business forums; promoting education and training cooperation with the exemplary Vietnam Japan University project; enhancing labor, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges; and researching new-generation ODA for Vietnam's infrastructure development like urban railways.
Through this, the ideas mentioned by the Prime Minister will be realized, contributing to deepening and making the Vietnam-Japan relationship more practical and effective.
