At the talks between Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud (Photo: VNA) Hanoi, (VNA) – Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son heldtalks with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud inHanoi on March 17 as part of the latter’s visit to Vietnam.
At the talks, the two Foreign Ministers agreed that the twosides should coordinate to implement specific measures to enhance theeffectiveness of bilateral cooperation as outlined by Prime Minister Pham MinhChinh at his reception for the Saudi Arabian minister earlier during the day.
They shared the view that bilateral cooperation has developed well across thefields. The good political ties are reflected in phone talks and directmeetings between leaders of the two Foreign Ministries and the mutual coordination and support at international organizations. Meanwhile, bilateraltrade almost reached 2 billion USD in 2021, up 26.5 percent over the 2020figure. Saudi Arabia is currently one ofthe most important economic partners of Vietnam in the Middle East.
FM Son asked the Saudi Arabian side to send a technical delegation to Vietnamto work towards lifting the suspension of the import of Vietnamese seafood,adding that he hopes major supermarket chains of Saudi Arabia to buy moreVietnamese agricultural products. He also called on Saudi Arabian investmentfunds and corporations to look for investment opportunities in fields prioritizedby Vietnam such as green growth and high technology.
The Minister also repeated the request for the Saudi ArabianForeign Ministry’s collaboration with relevant agencies to ensure safety andlegitimate interests of Vietnamese labourers working in the country.
Minister Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud affirmed that Saudi Arabia always considersVietnam one of important partners in its Look-East policy, and appreciatedVietnam’s success as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, whichhe said demonstrated the Southeast Asian country’s increasing role and positionin the international arena. He said his country wants to promote partnershipwith Vietnam in commerce, investment and tourism.
The two sides agreed to continue maintaining and increasing the exchange ofdelegations at all levels, especially high level, coordinating closely andsupporting each other at international organisations, particularly the UN. Theyaffirmed support of multilateralism and the settlement of disagreement on thebasis of dialogue and international law.
The two ministers also agreed to early implement cooperativemechanisms such as inter-governmental committee and political consultationbetween the two Foreign Ministries, accelerate negotiations toward signing anagreement on investment encouragement and protection, and promote people-to-peopleexchange.
The Saudi Arabian FM invited his Vietnamese counterpart to visit Saudi Arabiaat a suitable time, and FM Son accepted the invitation with pleasure./.
VNA
