Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (left) meets his Austrian counterpart  Alexander Schallenberg.

 During the visit, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son paid a courtesy call to President of the National Council of Austria Wolfgang Sobotka, held talks with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg, met with Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs Martin Kocher and Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery of Austria Karoline Edtstadler.

 During the meetings with Austrian leaders, the FM affirmed that Viet Nam attaches importance to the traditional friendship and cooperation with Austria. He took the occasion to propose that the two sides increase the exchange of delegations, especially those at high level, and discuss with the Austrian side measures to further expand and deepen multi-faceted collaboration between the two countries.

 The Austrian leaders all affirmed respect for Viet Nam’s role and position in the Asia-Pacific region, and expressed a hope to enhance the bilateral ties in politics-diplomacy, economy, trade, investment, renewable energy and health care.

 The two sides noted with joy that political collaboration and regular high-level contact and visits in the past time have contributed to creating political trust between the two countries and an impetus for cooperation.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (left) and Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery of Austria Karoline Edtstadler. 

 Due to the positive effect of the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), trade and investment have become a bright spot in Viet Nam-Austria ties, with bilateral trade reaching 3.35 billion USD, up nearly 14% from 2020.

 The two sides agreed to continue with close coordination to fully tap opportunities created by the EVFTA and facilitate market access for each other’s exports. 

The Austrian side took note for consideration the Vietnamese FM’s proposal that the Austrian parliament early ratify the Viet Nam-EU Investment Protection Agreement and the Austrian Government support the early removal of the EU’s yellow card on Viet Nam’s seafood.

 The two sides also discussed the possibility of expanding cooperation to new fields such as green finance, renewable energy and environmental protection.

 Regarding international cooperation, the two sides agreed to continue coordinating and supporting each other at multilateral organizations and forums, particularly the UN and the ASEAN-EU strategic partnership.

 The two sides exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, and shared the stance on settling disputes by peaceful measures based on international law and the UN Charter as well as respect for the 1992 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

 During the visit, the Vietnamese FM also attended the opening ceremony of a "Vietnamese Cultural Space", the Viet Nam - Austria Business Forum and a ceremony to mark the 50^th anniversary of Viet Nam-Austria diplomatic ties, and met with officials and staff of Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Austria./.