President To Lam receives outgoing ambassadors of Colombia and Panama
VOV.VN - President To Lam on June 28 received the outgoing ambassadors of Colombia and Panama who came to bid farewell to the president.
Receiving Colombian Ambassador Miguel Angel Rodriguez Melo, Lam appreciated the ambassador’s positive contributions to strengthening the cooperative and friendly relationship between Vietnam and Colombia.
He thanked Colombia for its support to Vietnam in bilateral cooperation activities as well as at international forums, especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lam highly appreciated Colombia’s role and position in the Latin American region, and emphasized that Vietnam strongly supports the peace process in Colombia.
Vietnam wishes to develop comprehensive cooperative relations with Colombia, particularly in politics - diplomacy, economics – trade, education, and people-to-people exchanges, in the interest of the two countries’ people, contributing to peace, stability and development in the two regions, said the President.
He proposed that the two sides continue to promote and expand cooperation in other fields such as science - technology, finance and banking, transportation, construction and urban development and finance.
He urged the two sides to create a favourable business and investment environment to strengthen connections between their business communities, striving to raise their two-way trade turnover to US$1 billion in the near future.
Vietnam is ready to act as a bridge to help Colombia expand relations with other ASEAN countries, emphasized the president.
On this occasion, President To Lam conveyed his invitation to President Gustavo Petro to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time.
Ambassador Miguel Angel Rodriguez Melo for his part spoke highly of Vietnam’s recent development achievements as well as its increasing role and position globally.
He thanked Vietnam for strongly supporting the peace negotiation process in Colombia, especially during the period when Vietnam assumed its role as President of the United Nations Security Council, as well as its support and assistance to Colombia’s development.
He welcomed Lam’s proposals and said that both Colombia and Vietnam have much potential for cooperation in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, energy transition, and telecommunications.
The Colombian government expects President Lam will soon visit Bogota, and Vietnam soon open its Embassy in the capital, thereby helping to enhance bilateral cooperation, said the diplomat.
Receiving Panamanian Ambassador Eligio Alberto Salas, Lam highly appreciated the Ambassador’s contributions to promoting bilateral relations during his working term through visit, trade, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
Vietnam values Panama’s important role and position in Latin America, and it wishes to further develop and improve the effectiveness of multifaceted cooperative relations with Panama, especially in politics - diplomacy, economics - trade, maritime, finance and banking, people-to-people exchanges, said the President.
He said he hopes that the two sides will maintain existing cooperation mechanisms, soon convene the second political consultation session between the two countries’ Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the second session of the Vietnam – Panama Joint Committee for economic, trade and investment cooperation, while promoting new consultation and cooperation mechanisms.
In addition to traditional areas of cooperation, the President also proposed that the two sides continue to expand cooperation in the fields of culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
On this occasion, he conveyed his invitation to President-elect Jose Raul Mulino to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time.
Ambassador Eligio Alberto Salas agreed with his host’s proposals, and said that Panamanian Foreign Minister Érika Mouynes made a visit to Vietnam immediately following the containment of the COVID-19, thereby enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the fields of trade and investment, climate change response, green and sustainable development.
He expressed hope that Vietnam would soon open a trade office in Panama, thereby further fostering economic and trade cooperation, commensurate with their potential and strengths.
