Welcome ceremony held for top Vietnamese leader in Dublin
VOV.VN - President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and his spouse hosted an official welcome ceremony in Dublin on October 2 for General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam and his delegation who are paying a state visit to Ireland from October 1-3.
Following the ceremony, the top leader had a private meeting with Irish President Michael D. Higgins. After the meeting, the two leaders and the high-ranking delegations held official talks.
After the talks, the two leaders planted a tree in the Presidential Palace's garden.
Earlier, To Lam wrote in the guest book that he is glad to visit Ireland - the beautiful "pearl island" which is rich in cultural traditions and very grateful for the warm and respectful welcome that the Irish President and the Irish people have given to him and the Vietnamese delegation.
Despite a geographical distance, historical similarities in the long struggle for independence and resilient rise, Vietnam and Ireland have built a strong relationship over the past nearly three decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations, he added.
With the good results of cooperation, political trust and great potential of the bilateral cooperation, Lam expressed his confidence that the Vietnam - Ireland relations will see stronger and more effective development in the time ahead.
On this occasion, he wished Ireland will continue to develop prosperously and the Vietnam-Ireland friendship and cooperation will be further promote and expanded for the benefit of the two countries' people and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the two regions and in the world.
The top Vietnamese leader and the Vietnamese delegation also laid flowers at the national monument on Parnell Square in Dublin. It is the place where memorial events are held to commemorate those who sacrificed for Ireland's independence.
Since the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Ireland in 1996, both nations’ cooperation and friendship relations have obtained remarkable and specific results, in accordance with the common interests of the governments and people of the two nations.
Economic-trade and education-training cooperation is viewed as a bright spot in their relations. Ireland is currently Vietnam's 6th largest trading partner in the EU market, with last year’s two-way trade turnover hitting US$3.5 billion and US$2.73 billion during the seven-month period of 2024.
Ireland currently has 41 investment projects in Vietnam with total registered capital of US$44.32 million, ranking 61st out of 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.
With regard to development cooperation, Ireland considers Vietnam a priority partner in its development cooperation policy, focusing on the fields of education, gender equality, climate change response, and support for ethnic minorities; continues to provide non-refundable official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam in the fields of poverty reduction, education and training, support for people with disabilities, mine clearance, among others.
This is the first State visit since both nations established diplomatic relations. During the visit, senior leaders will discuss a score of measures to ramp up extensive cooperation in a variety of fields where Vietnam has demand and Ireland has strengths, such as high-quality investment, science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, energy transformation, education and training, especially higher education.
The state visit to Ireland by the Party General Secretary and President To Lam contributes to consolidating political trust and strengthening friendly relations, thus bringing cooperation between the two countries to new heights.
