Vietnam and Poland look to soon upgrade ties to strategic partnership
VOV.VN - Vietnam and Poland will soon upgrade their 75-year relationship to a strategic partnership to leverage their strengths and development potential.
The agreement was reached during talks in Warsaw on January 16 between Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his visiting Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh.
Both sides held that the traditional relationship and multi-faceted cooperation over the past seven decades have developed positively, yielding numerous achievements, and it is time to elevate their ties to new heights.
To this end, Chinh proposed that the two sides increase trust through visit exchanges, boost economic cooperation as a crucial pillar of bilateral relations, strive to raise two-way trade to US$5 billion soon from the US$3.45 billion recorded in 2024, and strengthen both ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ connections between the two economies.
He stressed the need to enhance cooperation in defense – security, education and labour, especially the training of human resources in potential areas such as digital transformation, green transition, circular economy, and semiconductor manufacturing.
Chinh expected that both Vietnam and Poland would foster people-to-people exchanges through organizing activities to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025. On this occasion, he announced Vietnam’s decision to waive visas for Polish citizens in 2025.
Among other things, he proposed that the two countries enhance mutual support at regional and international forums, such as the United Nations and the ASEAN-EU framework. He reaffirmed Vietnam’s readiness to act as a bridge between ASEAN and Poland.
Tusk for his part highlighted Vietnam as one of Poland’s most promising markets in the Asia-Pacific region, noting more and more Polish businesses are keen to expand their investments and operations in the Southeast Asian market.
He welcomed his guest’s proposals and confirmed Poland’s commitment to soon ratifying the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). He also pledged to lobby the European Commission to lift the yellow card on Vietnamese seafood exports to the EU.
Both sides agreed to effectively implement existing cooperation frameworks and agreements signed during the visit. They consented to intensify cooperation areas such as defense and security, trade and investment, science and technology, transportation and rail connectivity, pharmaceuticals, education and training, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
They also agreed to expand cooperation in emerging sectors, including renewable energy, digital transformation, information technology, labour and workforce development, and agriculture.
They pledged to support and act as gateways for each other’s goods to enter the ASEAN and EU markets, so as to foster stronger economic ties.
Chinh expressed gratitude and requested the Polish Government to continue facilitating the deeper integration of the Vietnamese community into Polish society. He proposed recognizing the Vietnamese community as an ethnic minority in Poland to enhance their contributions to Poland’s development and the traditional friendship between the two countries.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums and international organizations. They emphasized their shared goal of ensuring peace, security, cooperation, and development regionally and globally.
Exchanging views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, Chinh called on Poland to support ASEAN’s central stance on the East Sea, advocating for peaceful resolution of disputes based on fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
He emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in contested areas, contributing to global cooperation and prosperity.
Chinh extended an invitation for Tusk to revisit Vietnam, and the invitation was accepted with pleasure.
At the end of their talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation documents in the fields of diplomacy and labour.
