Vietnamese, German diplomats talk regional and global issues of shared concern
VOV.VN - Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, during their September 25 phone talks , compared notes on bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues of mutual concern on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the two nations’ diplomatic ties.
Deputy PM Minh told his German guest that Vietnam treasures its strategic partnership with Germany which plays an important role in Europe and the world.
He showed his elation at the strong and effective development of bilateral ties over the past 45 years, especially since the establishment of the strategic partnership.
Minh thanked Germany for actively supporting Vietnam-EU cooperative ties, especially its effort to accelerate the signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
He welcomed Germany’s active and constructive role in the region and expected that Germany, with its key role in the EU, would continue enhancing collaboration between the two regions via its policy orientations towards the Indo-Pacific on economy, trade-investment expansion, human resources development, and supporting ASEAN’s central role in the region.
The German diplomat, in turn, hailed the achievements of the bilateral relationship and consented to intensify exchange visits at all levels and work hand in hand to carry out the strategic action plan for the 2019-2021 period, thus further deepening bilateral cooperation in promising areas such as manufacturing and supporting industries, smart infrastructure, renewable energy and vocational training.
As Vietnam is undertaking the role of ASEAN Chair 2020 and Germany is holding the rotating Presidency of the EU in the second half of this year, both sides promised to foster connectivity between the two regions and work together towards the establishment of the ASEAN-EU strategic partnership.
Regarding regional and global issues of shared concern, the two diplomats underlined the importance of maintaining peace, stability and settlement of disputes via peaceful measures in the East Sea based on international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).