Vietnam and Tonga established diplomatic relations
VOV.VN - Vietnam and Tonga have signed a joint communiqué on establishing diplomatic relations between the two nations.
The document was signed by the ambassadors and heads of delegations of Vietnam and Tonga to the United Nations.
The signing took place in New York on September 21 on the sidelines of the 78th UN General Assembly, and was witnessed by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Bui Thanh Son and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tonga Hon Fekitamoeloa 'Utoikamanu.
Addressing the ceremony, Son noted the signing of the document marks a historic milestone in the relationship between the two countries, laying an important foundation for the development of bilateral relations in the coming time.
To strengthen bilateral cooperation, he suggested that the two sides promote the exchange of delegations at all levels, formulate periodic exchange mechanisms to create a long-term cooperation framework, especially in the potential fields of economy, trade and tourism.
On this occasion, he respectfully invited the Tonga Foreign Minister to pay an official visit to Vietnam.
Foreign Minister Fekitamoeloa 'Utoikamanu for her part affirmed that the two sides have a lot of potential for cooperation. She agreed with Son’s proposals and expressed her wish for the two countries to ramp up cooperation in major fields such as tourism, climate change response, and fisheries.
She also suggested that the two sides strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, while developing relations between ASEAN and Pacific island countries.
So far Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with a total of 193 countries and territories across the globe.
Tonga, formally known as the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island state in Polynesia, part of Oceania. It has 171 islands of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about 750 km2, scattered over 700,000 km2 in the southern Pacific Ocean. Tonga is a constitutional monarchy in which the King exercises executive power through his Cabinet. The King is the Head of State and appoints the Prime Minister as the Head of Government.
