President Thuong conveyed his belief that the visit would significantly contribute to fortifying the friendship and political trust shared between the two nations, creating a driving force for the bilateral strategic partnership and for the benefit of their people.

He affirmed that in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, Vietnam always values and prioritises the development of relations with Germany.

President Steinmeier expressed a desire to elevate all-around cooperation with Vietnam, especially in trade and investment, energy transition, labour and vocational training, and development cooperation while working closely together to contribute to peace and global and regional cooperation issues. 

Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the robust development of the Vietnam-Germany relationship over the past nearly five decades, particularly after they established a strategic partnership. Mutual political trust has been enhanced through the exchange of all-level delegations and coordination at multilateral forums. Germany has been the leading economic partner of Vietnam in Europe and Vietnam is one of Germany's major trade partners in Southeast Asia. Bilateral trade has tripled in the past decade to reach around 12 billion USD in 2023, and Germany is the fourth largest EU investor in Vietnam.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen political trust through the exchange of delegations at various levels and the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the strategic dialogue, the Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation, the Government Consultation on Development Cooperation; as well as the Vietnam-Germany strategic action plan for the 2023-2025 period.

The leaders rejoiced at the positive results in education-training coordination, particularly the effective operation of the Vietnam-Germany University (VGU). The German President wished for continued collaboration to ensure the further success of the VGU, particularly in attracting more Vietnamese students, while President Thuong asked Germany to continue helping Vietnam in the training of high-quality human resources and the expansion of the VGU's activities.

Regarding economic cooperation, the two sides pledged to continue to fully and effectively implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and facilitate market access for each other's strong products. President Steinmeier lauded Vietnam as a reliable economic partner and expressed a desire to enhance economic ties, particularly in terms of investment.

The host urged Germany to expedite the ratification procedures for the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and push the early removal of the European Commission (EC)'s yellow card warning on Vietnamese seafood. He also sought Germany's continued support through official development assistance (ODA) in energy, environment, and vocational training.

Mentioning climate change response, Steinmeier affirmed Germany's readiness to assist Vietnam through technology, experts, and financial assistance within the framework of the Joint Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), thus helping Vietnam fulfill its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, as announced at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26).

Host and guest also agreed to beef up joint work in national defence-security, sci-tech, justice, agriculture and cultural exchange, toward the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties in 2025.

President Thuong proposed that Germany continue to care for and support the Vietnamese community in the country, a sentiment affirmed by President Steinmeier, who recognised the community's successful integration and positive contributions to the host society.

On the international front, the two countries will coordinate and support each other at regional and multilateral forums, such as ASEAN-Germany, ASEAN-EU cooperation, and the United Nations frameworks.

On the East Sea issue, the two leaders reiterated the importance of maintaining peace, stability and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, and settling disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They expressed support for substantive and effective negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) between ASEAN and China.

Following the talks, the two Presidents witnessed the signing of an agreement on migrant labour cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

Banquet hosted in honour of German President

President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse hosted a banquet in honour of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his spouse at the Hanoi Opera House on January 23 evening.

Speaking at the event, President Thuong said the visit to Vietnam by the German President in the first month of 2024 and ahead of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) celebration fosters a sense of warm friendship and positive expectations for the future of bilateral relations.

The bilateral friendly cooperation, which dated back to the 1950s, has been continuously strengthened, consolidated and developed by many generations of leaders and people from both countries, he said, adding that since the establishment of bilateral strategic partnership in 2011, the two countries have seen steady progress in bilateral ties with significant milestones in various areas.

The President expressed his delight at the presence of outstanding individuals from the Vietnamese community in Germany accompanying the President. He believed that the nearly 200,000-strong Vietnamese community living in Germany, along with tens of thousands who have studied and worked there, many of whom are proficient in the German language, constitute an essential force to further enhance people-to-people exchanges, friendship and mutual understanding between the two countries.

In the upcoming journey, Vietnam hopes to further strengthen effective cooperation with Germany in traditional areas and expand collaboration in potential sectors such as energy transition, green growth, circular economy, labour cooperation, among others. The goal is to collectively address common challenges in the region and the world, in alignment with the spirit of their strategic partnership, he said.

For his part, the German president said that this is his third visit to Vietnam, with the previous times in 2008 and 2016, and that compared to eight years ago, Vietnam is in constant motion with a growing middle class and thriving economy. He said he believes that with the current pace of development, in the next eight years, there will be self-driving electric cars controlled by artificial intelligence in Vietnam.

The leader held that the thing that connects Vietnamese and German peoples is the shared history of the two countries. It is the foundation that has created diversity and depth in the bilateral friendship. He also mentioned flourishing trade and intensified investment, vibrant cultural, scientific, and social exchanges, and political cooperation between the two states and peoples. 

Agreeing with his Vietnamese counterpart, Steinmeier said the close ties between the two peoples, including the 200,000 Vietnamese people living and working in Germany and many who speak German, are an important foundation for the nations’ collaboration in politics, economy and culture.

He believed that the shared history of the two countries provides strength for a common future marked by flourishing trade and investment, skilled labour exchanges, cooperation in such global issues as climate protection, and the respect for international law, multilateralism, and peace.

After the banquet, the President and his delegation were invited to enjoy an art programme presented by the Vietnam National Academy of Music./.VNA