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| At the talks (Photo: baoquocte.vn) |
On August 15, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who paid an official visit to Vietnam on August 14-15.
Expressing his pleasure to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar to Vietnam for the first time, Minister Bui Thanh Son emphasized that the visit was an important milestone in the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and Qatar, especially when the two sides have just successfully held the second political consultation between the two foreign ministries and are aiming to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023.
At the talks, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries expressed their delight at the positive developments in the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Qatar over the past time, and agreed that the two sides still have plenty of room to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, especially in potential fields such as politics-diplomacy, economy, energy, tourism and labour.
The two sides emphasized the need to coordinate well in organizing activities to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023, focusing on enhancing the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high ranking delegations, and continuing to coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums and international and regional organizations such as ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
In economic terms, the two sides agreed to further strengthen trade and investment promotion activities, and create conditions for strong export products to penetrate each country's markets.
Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that Vietnam will create favourable conditions for Qatari businesses and investment funds to explore the market and invest in Vietnam. Regarding tourism, Minister Bui Thanh Son expressed his wish to welcome more Qatari tourists to visit Vietnam in the near future in the context that Vietnam's tourism industry is having a strong recovery after the pandemic.
In order to create a breakthrough for the bilateral cooperation in the coming time, Minister Bui Thanh Son suggested that the two sides soon organize the third meeting of the Joint Committee to review and discuss measures to promote cooperation in all fields, speeding up the negotiation and signing of bilateral cooperation agreements.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar highly appreciated Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements over the past time, affirming that Vietnam is a priority partner in the Asia-Pacific and an attractive destination for Qatari investors.
He agreed with the proposals of Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, and suggested the two sides enhance information sharing on projects and investment opportunities and expand cooperation in the fields of green economy, renewable energy, science and technology, and cooperation in the field of agriculture to ensure food security.
The two sides exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern. They signed an agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, official and special passports./.