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| Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung (right) receives State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office Geza Andreas von Geyr in Hanoi on June 11 (Photo: VNA) |
Hanoi (VNA) - Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung has called on Vietnam and Germany to adopt innovative approaches to cooperation and make better use of their complementary strengths in trade, investment, defence-security, science-technology, education and workforce development as the two countries seek to deepen their Strategic Partnership.
The proposal was made during his reception in Hanoi on June 11 for State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office Geza Andreas von Geyr, who is in Vietnam for a visit and co-chairing the eighth Vietnam-Germany Strategic Dialogue.
Welcoming the German official’s trip, Foreign Minister Trung expressed his belief that the outcomes of the dialogue will help strengthen political trust, enhance mutual understanding and create new momentum for more substantive and effective bilateral cooperation in the future.
He reaffirmed that Vietnam always treasures its relationship with Germany, describing the European nation as one of Vietnam’s leading partners in Europe and an important player on the global stage.
Vietnam appreciates Germany’s valuable support for Vietnam’s development and construction, including development cooperation, human resource training and the early presence of German businesses in the country, he said.
Building on the strong foundation of bilateral ties, Trung proposed increased high-level exchanges and strategic consultations, alongside closer cooperation in areas of the countries’ strengths.
For his part, Geza Andreas von Geyr highly valued the outcomes of the eighth Strategic Dialogue, with substantive and in-depth discussions. He reaffirmed that Germany regards Vietnam as one of its most important partners in the region.
The German official stressed that amid increasingly complex regional and global developments, the trusted partnership between Vietnam and Germany holds importance not only to the interests of both countries but also to peace, stability and development in their respective regions. He noted that people-to-people exchanges form a key pillar of bilateral relations, helping to foster mutual understanding and respect while creating favourable conditions for expanding cooperation in the new period.
The two sides agreed to further deepen the Strategic Partnership, strengthen exchanges at all levels and enhance the coordinating role of the two foreign ministries in monitoring and hastening the implementation of bilateral agreements, commitments and specific cooperation projects.
They also exchanged views on regional and international issues, agreeing that dialogue, political trust and stronger cooperation are increasingly important amid a rapidly evolving and unpredictable global environment.
Earlier the same day, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang and Geza Andreas von Geyr co-chaired the eighth Vietnam-Germany Strategic Dialogue, during which the two sides reviewed cooperation since the previous dialogue and noted the dynamic development of bilateral relations.
Hang said there remains huge room for cooperation and urged the two countries to better tap into their potential in areas aligned with Vietnam’s development needs and Germany’s strengths, particularly science and technology, innovation, transport infrastructure, digital economy, labour cooperation and dual vocational training.
She also suggested the two sides continue coordinating on building a new action plan for implementing the Strategic Partnership in 2027–2029.
Hang thanked the German side for its ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and called on Berlin to encourage the remaining EU member states to complete ratification, helping boost Vietnam-EU trade and investment ties. She also sought Germany’s continued support for Vietnam’s efforts to develop sustainable fisheries and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, while expanding technical cooperation in marine research and environmental management, marine ecosystem protection and human resource training.
The two sides underscored the importance of implementing the 2025–2026 Action Plan under the Vietnam-Germany Energy Partnership, including initiatives under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), and expanding cooperation in official development assistance (ODA), concessional financing and green finance for key projects.
Geza Andreas von Geyr said Germany views Vietnam as one of its key partners in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as a dynamic partner with significant potential.
He noted that German businesses highly value Vietnam’s investment environment, with many seeking to expand their presence, particularly in renewable energy, climate change response, green finance and technology. He also proposed strengthening bilateral cooperation in transport infrastructure, renewable energy, and ensuring supply chains and critical raw materials.
The two sides agreed to promote cooperation in trade and investment, science and technology, labour and high-quality workforce training, defence-security cooperation, UN peacekeeping operations and people-to-people interactions, while maintaining close coordination at multilateral forums and supporting international law, free trade and multilateralism.
They also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)./.
