Minsk (VNA) ✤– General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam had talks with President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko in Minsk on May 12, stating that Vietnam views Belarus as an important partner in the region and wishes their relationship will develop unceasingly for the sake of both peoples.

Welcoming Lam on the first trip by a CPV General Secretary to Belarus in 11 years, Lukashenko described the decades-long friendship between Belarus and Vietnam as a precious asset nurtured by generations of both countries’ leaders. He said he believes the General Secretary’s state visit will create a new impulse for the countries to enhance cooperation in multiple areas in the time to come. The host spoke highly of Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements and affirmed that the country is a big friend and important partner of Belarus in Southeast Asia. For his part, Lam congratulated Lukashenko on the latter’s re-election as President of Belarus in January 2025, voicing his belief that Belarus will keep growing strongly with social security guaranteed and stature promoted in the regional and global arenas. Vietnam always attaches importance to the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Belarus, which were founded by President Ho Chi Minh and Belarusian leaders and have been nurtured during the struggles for national liberation and reunification in the past, as well as national construction and development efforts at present, he noted. The two leaders informed each other about their respective countries’ situations and noted with satisfaction the positive cooperation results in various fields, including politics – diplomacy, security – defence, science – technology, education – training, culture, and people-to-people exchange. Agreeing on major orientations for enhancing bilateral relations in a substantive manner, they underlined the importance of maintaining engagements at all levels, especially the high level and between the countries’ ministries, sectors, and localities. They also stressed the need to make full use of the existing cooperation mechanisms by taking measures appropriate to each country’s situation and conditions. With regard to economic, trade, and investment ties, the two leaders applauded the recent progress and agreed on the necessity to further tap into the cooperation potential generated by the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), of which Belarus is a member. Lam asked Belarus to jointly devise measures for facilitating Vietnamese and Belarusian agricultural, aquatic, and fertiliser products' access to each other’s markets, thereby increasing bilateral trade.

Both sides agreed on important steps to expand cooperation to potential areas like information technology; digital transformation; education – training, with an emphasis on basic sciences; culture, arts, and sports, particularly in athlete training; scientific research; transportation; tourism; and people-to-people exchange. They underscored that the signing of the visa exemption agreement for ordinary passport holders, taking effect on January 30, 2025, and the organisation of cultural cooperation programmes will further facilitate bilateral cooperation and exchanges. Lam thanked the Belarusian leaders for their consistent support for the Vietnamese community in the country, proposing the President and the local administration continue providing favourable conditions for them to contribute more to the host country’s development along with the traditional friendship between the two nations. On global and regional issues of mutual concern, they agreed to maintain close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations. Vietnam stays ready to serve as a bridge for Belarus to enhance cooperation with ASEAN, he said, suggesting Belarus back Vietnam and ASEAN’s stance on the East Sea issue and highlighting the peaceful settlement of disputes in line with the UN Charter and international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Following the talks, host and guest signed a joint statement on the establishment of the Vietnam – Belarus Strategic Partnership. They also witnessed the handover of several cooperation documents spanning national defence, sci-tech, justice, healthcare, culture, broadcasting, and people-to-people exchange. In a gesture of goodwill, Lam invited Lukashenko to visit Vietnam at an early opportunity. The Belarusian President warmly accepted the invitation, expressing his intent to visit at a suitable time./.