Vietnam desires stronger all-around ties with Poland

Nguyen Duc Hai, vice chairman of the National Assembly (NA), made the statement while receiving Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau on March 17 in Hanoi.

Welcoming the Polish official’s visit, Hai affirmed that the Vietnamese legislature backs the growth of comprehensive ties between the two governments.

Both sides shared delight at the prospect of growing the partnership that exists between the two countries, with many delegations exchanged, including high-level ones.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted delegation exchanges over recent years, both sides should seek to swiftly resume the exchange of delegations, especially high-level ones, to further ramp up collaboration in potential sectors, Hai said.

The NA Vice Chairman therefore thanked the Government and parliament of Poland for donating 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and eight tonnes of medical equipment worth about US$4 million to Vietnam during challenging times and helping the country overcome the impact of the pandemic.

Hai also thanked the Government and people of Poland for receiving, assisting, and providing temporary shelters and necessities for thousands of Vietnamese citizens fleeing from Ukraine.

The two sides therefore agreed that bilateral economic and trade co-operation has been expanded, with Poland being the country’s largest trade partner in Eastern Europe for many years. Despite the damaging impact of COVID-19, bilateral trade still hit more than US$2.58 billion in 2021 and 2022, they stated.

Greatly valuing Polish support for the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), the Vietnamese leader suggested that the Polish parliament move to quickly ratify the EVIPA, thereby enabling the two countries to optimise benefits from the deal and promote bilateral trade and investment collaboration.

Minister Rau highlighted Vietnam as the largest economic partner of Poland in Southeast Asia, stressing the great potential for stronger ties between the two sides. The Polish Minister therefore expressed hope at the prospect of continuing to receive support from the Vietnamese NA in strengthening economic relations between the two nations, especially in high technology.

Hai asked Poland to urge the European Commission (EC) to remove its “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood exports, taking Vietnamese efforts to fully implement the EC’s recommendations on sustainable fishery development and the benefits of Polish and EU consumers into consideration.

Both sides also discussed co-operation in education-training, science-technology, as well as finance and banking. Minister Rau said that the Polish hopes to work hand in hand with Vietnam in education-training and receive more Vietnamese students moving forward.

Regarding the situation in the region and the East Sea issue, both host and guest underlined the significance of ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, as well as settling disputes through peaceful measures in line with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

This is for the common interest of all countries in the international community which will ultimately contribute to maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for the overall development of the region and the world, they said.

Regarding parliamentary linkages, the two officials expressed their delight at the fruitful development seen in relations between the two law-making, going on to voice their hope at further boosting the bilateral partnership moving forward.