Hanoi (VNA) - King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium left Ho Chi Minh City on April 4, concluding their five-day state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of State President Luong Cuong and his spouse, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet.

During their stay, the King and Queen paid floral tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum, and laid wreaths at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs on Bac Son street in Hanoi.

Party General Secretary To Lam received King Philippe. State President Luong Cuong chaired a welcome ceremony for, met with, and hosted a banquet in honour of the Belgian monarchs. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man also had meetings with the King.

The Vietnamese leaders highlighted the historic significance of the first head-of-state-level visit between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973. They expressed their belief that the trip by King Philippe, accompanied by many senior officials, business leaders, representatives of universities and research institutions, would create new momentum to deepen the friendship and multifaceted cooperation Vietnam and Belgium in a more result-oriented manner, responsibly contributing to peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region and the world.

The Vietnamese leaders thanked Belgium for passing a resolution of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives in support of the Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims in Vietnam.

They suggested the two sides further strengthen practical cooperation in areas matching Belgium's strengths and Vietnam's demand such as high technology, circular economy, strategic infrastructure, and human resources training. Additionally, they called on Belgium to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) soon and to advocate the European Commission's removal of the “yellow card” warning against the Vietnamese seafood industry for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

King Philippe said the geographical similarity, with Belgium located at the centre of Europe and Vietnam at the centre of Southeast Asia, makes the countries gateways for each other to reach the two regions.

He shared his Vietnamese hosts' view that the bilateral friendship has been flourishing over the last 50 years, and agreed that the two countries need to continue working closely together to help address global challenges such as climate change and environmental issues.

On this occasion, the two countries’ leaders witnessed the handover of cooperation documents in the fields of culture, trade, climate change, and support for AO/dioxin victims.

During the visit, President Luong Cuong and his spouse Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet, together with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium toured the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi.

ꩲ The King and Queen also visited tourist attractions, and cultural and economic establishments in Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, and Ho Chi Minh City./.