The agreement was reached during talks in Hanoi on March 16 between Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Bui Thanh Son and his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau who is in Hanoi for a two-day visit to Vietnam.
Son affirmed Vietnam attaches importance to and wishes to strengthen multifaceted cooperation with Poland, a traditional partner and friend of Vietnam in Central Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, Rau hailed Vietnam’s increasingly important role and position globally, and stressed that Poland also wishes to beef up relations with Vietnam which is Poland’s leading important partner in Southeast Asia.
Both ministers acknowledged that Poland is currently Vietnam’s number one trading partner in Central Eastern Europe and that Vietnam is Poland’s fourth largest trading partner in Asia.
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, economic-trade cooperation between the two countries has continued to maintain positive growth, with two-way trade turnover in 2021 and 2022 reaching a record high of more than US$2.5 billion.
To promote bilateral cooperation, especially in economy, trade and investment, Son suggested the two sides work closely to maximize opportunities from the EVFTA.
He also requested that Poland create favourable conditions for Vietnam’s agricultural - aquatic products and seasonal tropical fruits to make inroads into the Polish market. He also encouraged Poland to increase investment in the fields of Polish strengths and Vietnamese needs such as pharmaceuticals, animal husbandry, food processing, manufacturing and processing, and mineral exploitation.
Son took this occasion to ask Poland to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and lobby the European Commission to soon remove the ‘yellow card’ for Vietnamese seafood products exported to the EU.
Rau for his part hailed Vietnam as one of Poland’s most potential markets in Southeast Asia, suggesting that the former support Polish products such as beef, poultry and blueberries in entering its market. He expressed the wish that the two sides promote cooperation in the fields of information technology, smart city, green technology, and environmental protection, among others.
The two ministers also agreed to ramp up bilateral cooperation in education - training, agriculture, natural resources - environment, culture, tourism, monument restoration, health, information technology and tourism. media, and labour.
They agreed that both countries should strengthen delegation exchanges and closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral and international forums, including the United Nations, Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and ASEAN-EU forums.
Son thanked the Polish Government for creating conditions for the Vietnamese community to integrate and live stably in their host country.
In reply, Rau noted the Vietnamese community is one of the most respected and admired expat communities in Poland for their diligence, hard work, and practical contributions to local economy. He affirmed that Poland would continue to support the Vietnamese community in promoting its role as a bridge to develop the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.
Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau began a two-day working visit to Vietnam on March 16 at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son.
