Vietnam and Switzerland elevate relationship to comprehensive partnership

Keller-Sutter acknowledged Vietnam’s growing role and said the Southeast Asian nation is an important regional partner for Switzerland.

Meanwhile, Chinh who is playing trip to Switzerland for the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, stressed the significance of the multifaceted friendship and cooperation with Switzerland.

Both host and guest emphasized the potential to enhance economic cooperation and explore new opportunities to bring into full play the complementary strengths of the two economies. They agreed to intensify efforts and take concrete steps to conclude negotiations on the Vietnam-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Free Trade Agreement at the earliest time.

Keller-Sutter affirmed Switzerland’s continued support for Vietnam through the 2025-2028 Development Cooperation programme under the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). She vowed to assist Vietnam in achieving its goal of becoming a sustainable and resilient high-income economy.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen dialogue and cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as innovation, green finance, intellectual property, and sharing expertise in developing international financial centers in Vietnam.

Recognizing the benefits of educational and cultural cooperation, they consented to explore the potential for expanding joint academic initiatives, training programmes, and tourism cooperation. Innovation, science and technology, and knowledge-sharing were identified as promising priority areas for deeper bilateral cooperation in the future.

To this end, they stressed the need to promote partnerships between their research institutes and joint initiatives to advance science. They highlighted funding opportunities for collaborative research through the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and Vietnam’s National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED).

The leaders also exchanged views on enhancing efforts to address environmental challenges and bolster climate resilience in line with the 1995 Paris Agreement.

They acknowledged the role of people-to-people exchanges, including of Vietnamese and Swiss communities, in fostering mutual understanding and building bridges between the two countries.

The two parties reaffirmed the importance of cooperation at multilateral forums and their commitment to global prosperity and stability, as well as to addressing global challenges such as environmental protection, climate change action, and water security.

Both leaders expressed their support for multilateralism and a rules-based international order grounded in international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter. They reiterated the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).