Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang co-chaired the Vietnam–Serbia political consultation with her Serbian counterpart Damjan Jovic, and held meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarovic, Minister for International Economic Cooperation Nenad Popovic, and Assistant Foreign Minister Tamara Rastovac Siamashvili as part of her working visit to Serbia from May 22 to 23.

At the political consultation, the two deputy ministers exchanged updates on each country’s socio-economic development and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations in the coming time.

They welcomed positive progress in the traditional friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Serbia across various areas, and spoke highly of the close coordination between the two foreign ministries in promoting high-level exchanges, mutual support at multilateral forums and international organizations, and maintaining the political consultation mechanism. These efforts have helped consolidate political trust and laid a solid foundation for expanding cooperation in other fields.

Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang reaffirmed that Vietnam values its traditional friendship with Serbia, which traces back to President Ho Chi Minh’s historic visit to the former Yugoslavia in 1957. She congratulated Serbia on being selected to host EXPO 2027 in Belgrade, and hailed its accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), a move that boosts broader engagement between Serbia and ASEAN. Vietnam, she noted, stands ready to serve as a bridge to deepen ties between Serbia and Southeast Asian countries.

The two sides consented to intensify high-level exchanges across the Party, Government, and National Assembly channels, especially as the two countries approach the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2027. They also committed to maintaining regular political consultations and exploring new mechanisms to promote sectoral cooperation, as well as closer ties through parliamentary diplomacy and people-to-people exchanges.

Expressing appreciation for Vietnam’s dynamic growth, Deputy Minister Jovic called for increased exchanges at all levels, including business delegations. He proposed expanding trade promotion efforts and market access in areas of mutual strength such as agriculture, IT, and innovation. He also encouraged businesses from both countries to utilize investment opportunities, and voiced Serbia’s hope that Vietnam would participate in EXPO 2027.

Vietnam and Serbia pledged to continue supporting each other at multilateral platforms where both are members, including the United Nations and its affiliated bodies such as UNESCO and the Human Rights Council.

Both sides shared the view that peace and stability are essential for development, and expressed support for multilateralism, free trade, and efforts to strengthen the UN’s transparency, efficiency and fairness. They stressed the importance of upholding international law and the UN Charter, and resolving disputes through peaceful means and dialogue.

At meetings with Deputy PM Mesarovic and Minister Popovic, Serbian officials recognized Vietnam’s growing role in ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific. They highlighted considerable untapped potential for cooperation, especially in Serbia’s key sectors such as IT, digital transformation, high technology, innovation, and agriculture. Serbia suggested launching negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement to boost economic ties and expressed interest in organizing business visits to Vietnam. They also proposed exploring the possibility of a direct air route between the two countries and showed interest in Vietnam’s international events related to robotics and information technology.

The two sides also discussed ways to deepen cooperation in security and defence, labor, education, culture, sports, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. On cultural and tourism ties, Serbia voiced support for holding more joint programs such as cultural performances, exhibitions and film screenings; expanding sports training co-operation; and participating in tourism promotion activities. It also welcomed Vietnamese students to pursue studies in Serbia. The two countries concurred to accelerate labor cooperation talks, noting Serbia’s strong labor demand and Vietnam’s young, skilled workforce.

On this occasion, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang announced that the UN had agreed for Vietnam to host the Signing Ceremony of the Hanoi Convention on October 25–26, 2025. She also delivered a letter from President Luong Cuong inviting the Serbian President to attend the event. She affirmed that Serbia’s high-level participation would contribute to the success of global efforts to establish a new legal framework for combating cybercrime.

As part of her visit, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang also met with Vietnamese community representatives in Serbia.

Congratulations to Serbia on National Day

Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan sent her congratulatory message to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on the 219th National Day of Serbia (February 15).