Vietnam seeks to advance cooperation with Portugal across all fields: Party official

Vietnam places great importance on, and seeks to deepen its cooperation with Portugal across all spheres, particularly in politics, economy-trade, culture and education, and judicial affairs, affirmed a Vietnamese Party official.

Phan Dinh Trac, Politburo member, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and head of its Commission for Internal Affairs, made the statement while leading a Vietnamese delegation to Portugal from November 22-27 to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

During the trip, the delegation had meetings, working sessions, and discussions with Marcos Perestrello, Vice President of the Portuguese Parliament, Paulo Raimundo, Secretary-General of the Portuguese Communist Party, and Ana Isabel Xavier, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. They also met with Gonçalo da Cunha Pires, Secretary of State for Justice; Paulo Jorge Vieira Morgado de Carvalho, Deputy Attorney General; Jose Mouras Lopes, President of the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism, and leaders of the Portugal-Vietnam Friendship Association.
The delegation also met with the Vietnamese Embassy staff, held a friendly gathering with representatives of the Vietnamese community, and attended the embassy inauguration.

During the meetings, Trac and the Portuguese side discussed the situation in each country and bilateral relations, and experiences, policies, and measures on anti-corruption, judicial reform, and law-making. The team reviewed how judicial, prosecutorial, and investigative bodies are organised, and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. They also outlined key directions for boosting Vietnam-Portugal cooperation in the coming years.

The Portuguese side stressed that the opening of the Vietnamese Embassy in Portugal and the forthcoming opening of the Portuguese Embassy in Vietnam are historic milestones, reflecting the strong political will of the two countries’ senior leaders to foster bilateral ties and usher in a new chapter of cooperation.

Portugal praised the achievements in socio-economic development and external relations, and its growing role and stature in maintaining peace, security, stability and development in the region and the wider world.

Host officials also expressed a desire to expand collaboration in potential areas such as culture, tourism, labour, the maritime economy, the green economy and renewable energy. They affirmed their readiness to serve as a gateway for Vietnamese goods entering Europe, and willingness to support sustainable infrastructure, healthcare and education projects under the EU’s Global Gateway initiative.

Trac proposed that both sides continue to coordinate effectively in organising activities to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, and soon convene their first political consultation session to comprehensively review areas of collaboration and identify concrete measures to advance bilateral ties.

He called on Portugal, as an active member of the EU, to help encourage remaining EU member states to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and urged the European Commission to lift its “yellow card” warning on Vietnam regarding illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Trac also thanked Portugal for its support and requested continued assistance to help the roughly-700-strong Vietnamese community integrate more deeply into local society while preserving their cultural identity and language, contributing to Portugal’s socio-economic development and strengthening the friendship between the two peoples.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Vietnamese Embassy in Portugal, the Party official stressed that the establishment of the mission not only creates a direct bridge between Vietnam – the gateway to the Asia-Pacific – and Portugal – a centre of innovation and a gateway to Europe and the Atlantic, but also delivers tangible benefits for their people, contributing positively to peace, stability and development in their respective regions.

He thanked the Portuguese authorities and called for continued support to ensure the effective operation of the embassy to help consolidate and further develop the relationship between the two countries./.