Prime Minister receives GCC Secretary-General on sidelines of WEF meeting
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi on the sidelines of the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on January 21.
PM Chinh affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to promoting mutually beneficial cooperation with the GCC and its member countries.
He shared good impressions during his visits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia) and Qatar in October 2024; and informed that during the trips, Vietnam and these countries have created new frameworks to develop bilateral relations in a deeper and more practical manner, especially the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership framework and the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the UAE.
Jasem Albudaiwi affirmed that Vietnam is on the GCC's priority list for signing FTAs, believing that the GCC - Vietnam cooperative ties is a win-win, mutually beneficial relationship, bringing benefits to both sides.
PM Chinh requested the GCC Secretariat to continue to support and assist Vietnam in further deepening multifaceted cooperative relations with GCC member countries; encourage regional businesses and investment funds to increase cooperation with Vietnam, promote negotiations on the GCC - Vietnam FTA, the GCC - Vietnam Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement, share experiences and assist Vietnam in building international financial centres.
The two sides agreed to organise activities to enhance understanding between the GCC and Vietnam, thus helping GCC countries to better understand Vietnam's potential and allowing the Vietnamese side to exchange and meet with experts, development banks, and investment funds of the GCC.
On this occasion, PM Chinh invited Jasem Albudaiwi to visit Vietnam at a suitable time in 2025. Jasem Albudaiwi accepted the invitation with pleasure and affirmed that he would soon visit Vietnam to discuss measures to promote GCC - Vietnam cooperation, including the exploitation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the GCC Secretariat.
