
Vietnam and Estonia seek to deepen ties during Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang’s visit
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Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang meets with Undersecretary of Political Affairs Martin Roger. (Photo: Bao Chi) |
From May 27 to 28, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang paid an official visit to the Republic of Estonia. Accompanying her were Vietnamese Ambassador to Finland concurrently accredited to Estonia Pham Thi Thanh Binh and officials from the Vietnamese Embassy.
During the visit, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang held meetings with senior leaders of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
In her working sessions with Mr. Martin Roger, Undersecretary of Political Affairs and Mrs. Kristi Karelsohn, Director General of the Department of Asia, the Pacific, Middle East and Africa, both sides reviewed the current state of bilateral relations and discussed directions for future cooperation.
Both sides acknowledged the positive momentum in Vietnam–Estonia relations and agreed that there remains considerable potential to be further explored.
The two foreign ministries agreed to continue their coordinating role in fostering bilateral ties through established dialogue mechanisms and high-level delegation exchanges. In the immediate future, they will closely coordinate preparations for upcoming high-level visits, which are seen as a crucial political impetus for advancing substantive and effective cooperation.
In addition, both ministries pledged to actively facilitate connections between ministries, sectors, localities, and business communities of the two countries. These efforts aim to support stakeholders in exploring and establishing cooperative relationships, thereby expanding concrete areas of collaboration.
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Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang works with Director General of the Department of Asia, the Pacific, Middle East and Africa Kristi Karelsohn. (Photo: Bao Chi) |
Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang affirmed that Vietnam values its friendly and multi-faceted cooperation with Estonia. She also praised Estonia’s dynamic development and notable achievements, especially in digital transformation.
She expressed Vietnam’s strong interest in learning from Estonia’s experience in building e-government, digital society, and smart governance, highlighting these as key areas of potential cooperation aligned with Vietnam’s national development orientation and digital transformation strategy.
For his part, Undersecretary for Political Affairs Martin Roger acknowledged Vietnam’s growing role and standing in the Asia-Pacific region, identifying Vietnam as one of Estonia’s key partners in the region.
He called for the early launch of Deputy Minister-level political consultations as a regular dialogue platform to discuss strategic orientations and key regional and international issues of mutual interest.
At the same time, the Undersecretary for Political Affairs emphasized Estonia’s expectation of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, paving the way for more structured and comprehensive cooperation moving forward.
Estonia expressed a strong desire to expand its ties with Southeast Asian countries and deepen its engagement in the ASEAN region, which it views as dynamic, economically vibrant, and strategically significant in both regional and global contexts. The country reaffirmed its readiness to work closely with Vietnam—a trusted and influential ASEAN partner—to broaden cooperation with the bloc.
All discussions during the visit took place in a spirit of openness, trust, and mutual understanding. Both sides agreed to maintain regular dialogue mechanisms, intensify information exchange, and strengthen cooperation in areas of shared interest. They also pledged to coordinate effectively in multilateral forums and international cooperation frameworks, particularly on global issues such as digital transformation, education, innovation, cybersecurity, and sustainable development.
Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang’s visit to Estonia has significantly contributed to reinforcing political foundations, deepening mutual understanding and trust, and generating fresh momentum for a stronger, more substantive, and effective Vietnam–Estonia partnership in the years to come.