Argentine President Mauricio Macri tries his hand at playing a Vietnamese traditional music instrument during his Vietnam visit in 2019 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui ThanhSon has penned an article looking back on the half-century cooperation and development toward the future between Vietnam and Argentina, onthe occasion of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.
Son wrotethat starting from the 1970s when Vietnam was in the midst of the arduousstruggle for independence and reunification, the country received tremendoussolidarity, support and encouragement from Argentina, a South American nation withprogressive ideals and a commitment to building a peaceful world without war.
On the basis of the shared aspirations for independence,democracy, freedom and the well-being of their people, the two governments officially established diplomatic relations on October 25, 1973, marking asignificant milestone in the bilateral relationship and makingArgentina one of the first three countries in the Latin America to establishdiplomatic ties with Vietnam.
Alongside the inauguration of the VietnameseEmbassy in Argentina in 1995 and the Argentine Embassy in Vietnam in 1997, bothsides have kept striving to create opportunities for bilateral cooperation andraise mutual understanding. Via sharing values, independence tradition, commondevelopment goals and aspiration to promote peace, cooperation and development,the two nations have nurtured a friendly and fruitful relationship over the pastfive decades, marked by significant milestones and outcomes.
He said through the ups and downs of history, both countries have been steadfast partners in the processof national construction and development. After nearly four decades of pursuingrenewal policy, Vietnam has achieved significant and comprehensiveaccomplishments, continually elevating its global and regional standing, as PartyGeneral Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said: "Never hasour country had such fortune, potential, international standing and prestige as it doestoday.”
📖 The ministerexpressed his delight that the two countries have been working together tobuild and develop their political and diplomatic ties on the foundation of astrong and friendly solidarity, evidenced by high-level visits, including those by Argentine President Mauricio Macri in February 2019 and NationalAssembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue in April 2023.
The historicvisit by the top Vietnamese legislator after 18 years marked a new milestone inbilateral relationship, particularly as both countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 13th anniversary of comprehensivepartnership, reaffirming Vietnam's high regard for Argentina as one of its topstrategic partners in Latin America and expressing its wish for a substantive andeffective collaboration, with breakthrough steps towards the establishment of astrategic partnership framework in various sectors in the near future.
During the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020-2022, both countries supported each other by providing 500,000 dosesof vaccines from Argentina and 20,000 masks from Vietnam.
💮 Apart from cooperationmechanisms such as political consultations between the two foreign ministries,the Inter-Governmental Committee on Economic, Trade, and InvestmentCooperation, and parliamentary cooperation, the two countries have been workingclosely and effectively at various multilateral forums and internationalorganisations, such as the United Nations, the Forum for East Asia-LatinAmerica Cooperation (FEALAC), and the South-South cooperation.
At a signing ceremony for cooperation agreement on fighting transnational crimes (Photo: VNA)
The two sides agreed that territorial and sovereigntydisputes should be resolved through peaceful means in accordance withinternational law.
🌄 Economically,with Argentina being Vietnam's third largest trade partner in Latin America andVietnam ranking as Argentina's fifth largest export market, there remains huge potential to expandcooperation and business activities to boost two-way trade beyond the 4.8billion USD recorded in 2022. The aim is to initiate negotiations on theVietnam- Southern CommonMarket (MERCOSUR)Free Trade Agreement soon.
