Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his Tongan counterpart Fekitamoeloa Utoikamanu witnessed the signing of the Joint Communiqué on the establishment of Vietnam-Tonga diplomatic ties by the two ambassadors - heads of the missions of the two countries to the United Nations, in New York on September 21 (local time).

With this move, Vietnam has so far formed diplomatic ties with 193 countries globally.

Minister Son stressed that the event marks a historic milestone in the relationship between the two countries, laying a crucial foundation for the future development of bilateral ties and meeting the practical interests of their people for the sake of peace, cooperation and friendship in the region and the world.

To harness the potential of bilateral cooperation, he proposed that both sides facilitate visits at all levels and consider the establishment of mechanisms for periodic bilateral exchange to create a framework for long-term cooperation, especially in fields with huge potential like economy, trade and tourism.

Son also invited the Tongan FM to pay an official visit to Vietnam.

Minister Utoikamanu, for her part, believed that there is significant potential and room for bilateral collaboration.

Agreeing with Son’s proposals, she wished both countries would step up cooperation in areas of mutual interest such as tourism, climate change response and aquaculture.

The two ministers agreed to offer mutual support at multilateral forums and develop relations between ASEAN and Pacific island countries.

Tonga is a Pacific island nation located more than 5,200 km west of Australia. It consists of 169 small islands with a total land area of 748 sq.km and a population of over 106,000 people (as of 2022). Tonga operates under a constitutional monarchy./.VNA