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| Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (right) and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (Photo: VNA) |
They agreed to enhance the exchange of all-level delegations in order to seek opportunities to expand cooperation across spheres, especially economy, trade and investment.
The officials consented to facilitate the export of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery products, garments-textiles, footwear, handicrafts and wooden products to Latvia and other Baltic countries, as well as Latvian green and food and wood processing technologies, equipment and machines to Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
They also compared notes on orientations to step up the bilateral collaboration in such areas as education-training, labour, tourism and transportation.
Host and guest spoke highly of the effective cooperation between Vietnam and Latvia at multilateral forums, and concurred to tighten coordination within the frameworks of the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting and international forums.
Minh highly valued Edgars Rinkevics’s visit, the first trip to Vietnam by a Latvian Foreign Minister since 1996, and expressed his hope that it will contribute to creating momentum to advance the bilateral friendship and multifaceted cooperation.
He used the occasion to thank Latvia for its support for the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement.
In this regard, Edgars Rinkevics affirmed that Latvia backs the agreements and will work to push ahead with the ratification and implementation of these deals, contributing to bringing practical benefits to the bilateral economic, trade and investment ties.
Minh also lauded the signing of the agreement on educational cooperation between the two countries and the organisation of the Vietnam-Latvia business conference during the visit.
The official thanked Latvia for its support to Vietnam’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for 2020-2021, and called for more backing and coordination from the country during performing the post.
While exchanging views on regional and international issues of shared concern, the two sides stressed the significance of peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation.
Latvia affirmed its support for the settlement of East Sea disputes by peaceful measures, without using force or threatening to use force, and on the basis of respect for international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).
