Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong paid a working visit to Thailand from April 21-22, aiming to seek ways to promote practical and effective cooperation in various fields, and expand exchanges and bonds between the two countries' political parties.

At a meeting with Cuong, Thai Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Russ Jalichandra affirmed that Thailand always treasures and wants to further strengthen its Enhanced Strategic Partnership with Vietnam. He spoke highly of close cooperation between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs in promoting the implementation of high-level agreements.

Jalichandra thanked Vietnam for creating favourable conditions for Thai businesses operating in the country, expressing his hope that the Vietnamese Government will continue to help resolve obstacles facing several Thai investment projects in Vietnam. He emphasised the importance of the Vietnam – Thailand three-connectivity strategy and agreed that the two sides should soon establish a working group to discuss its content and concrete plans.

For his part, Cuong stated that Thailand is an important partner of Vietnam in the region, and one of Vietnam's leading trade and investment partners in ASEAN. He suggested the two sides continue expanding market access, reducing trade barriers, and striving to reach the bilateral trade target of 25 billion USD in a more sustainable and balanced manner.

The two sides expressed their satisfaction with the positive progress in the Enhanced Strategic Partnership, which was built on the foundation of mutual respect and understanding, and deepened through delegation exchanges and cooperation across all channels.

The officials agreed that defence and security are among the key pillars of the bilateral cooperation. They committed to further promoting existing cooperation mechanisms such as the defence policy dialogue and the high-level dialogue on crime prevention and control, and security issues.

Both sides also emphasised the importance of enhancing cooperation in combating transnational crimes and reaffirmed their commitments not to allow any individual or organisation to use the territory of one country to resist the other.

The officials agreed to closely coordinate between tourism management authorities and businesses to link products, connect destinations, and share experiences in sustainable tourism development. They also discussed the possibility of effectively implementing tourism connectivity initiatives within ASEAN, including Thailand’s "Six Countries, One Destination" initiative, to attract visitors from outside the region.

At meetings with the Vietnamese official, leaders of the Pheu Thai Party and the Democrat Party spoke highly of the important leadership role of the Communist Party of Vietnam in the country’s national construction and development.

🃏 The two sides expressed satisfaction with the flourishing development of the bilateral relations in recent years. They affirmed that in addition to cooperation through state, government, and parliamentary channels, collaboration between the two nation’s political parties is a crucial diplomatic channel, helping to enhance understanding, build trust, and deepen the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations./.