Vietnam, Austria commit to strengthening multi-faceted cooperation

Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong reaffirmed Vietnam's strong commitment to valuing and enhancing the country's friendly and multi-faceted cooperation with Austria, a reliable friend within the European Union.

He made the remarks on Monday at a joint press conference after holding talks with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen as part of his official visit to Austria at the invitation of his counterpart.

During the meeting, both leaders exchanged information about the situation in their respective countries, discussed cooperative directions, and proposed measures to further strengthen and deepen the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and Austria.

President Alexander Van der Bellen warmly welcomed the Vietnamese leader's official visit to Austria and congratulated Vietnam on its significant achievements in socio-economic development.

He emphasized Austria's high regard for the longstanding friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Vietnam, viewing Vietnam as an important partner in implementing its foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in trade and investment.

He expressed a desire to further enhance economic, educational, and cultural ties between the two nations.

Bellen said he hoped that the visit would strengthen political trust between the two countries and create new momentum to promote the Vietnam-Austria relationship for the benefit of both peoples and for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

During their discussions on bilateral relations, both leaders expressed satisfaction with the substantial and effective development between the two countries over the past half-century in various areas, including politics-diplomacy, trade-investment, development cooperation, culture, education, vocational training, science, technology, and people-to-people exchanges.

To increase political trust and fully tap the significant potential for cooperation between the two countries, both leaders agreed to enhance exchanges at all levels, especially at high levels and across different channels. They also discussed the effective utilization of existing cooperation mechanisms and explored the establishment of new mechanisms suitable for the current context.

Regarding economic cooperation, the leaders positively assessed the economic, trade, and investment relationship between the two countries, with bilateral trade reaching $2.79 billion in 2022.

President Thuong suggested that both sides continue to closely coordinate and effectively leverage the benefits of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). This included considering measures to facilitate access to each other's markets for their respective key export items and creating favourable conditions and incentives for Austrian businesses to enhance their investments in Vietnam, particularly in areas such as automobile and railway production, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals.

President Alexander Van der Bellen emphasized that Vietnam was Austria's largest partner in Southeast Asia and expressed his hope for both sides to focus on improving the balance of bilateral trade.

At the talks, President Thuong proposed that Austria promptly complete the ratification procedures for the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to facilitate equal and beneficial investment relations between the two sides.

He also requested Austria's support in lobbying the European Commission (EC) to remove the yellow card IUU status on Vietnamese fisheries, creating favourable conditions for Vietnam's seafood exports to the EU.

Thuong suggested that Austria prioritize Vietnam for official development assistance (ODA) and implement more favourable lending policies, especially for projects in the fields of healthcare, environment, vocational training, firefighting, and search and rescue.

The Austrian President welcomed the ongoing discussions about Austria's concessional loans, which would facilitate sustainable development cooperation projects between the two countries.

He highly appreciated the integration capabilities of the Vietnamese community in Austria's socio-economic life and agreed with the Vietnamese leader's proposal to continue providing favourable conditions and support for the Vietnamese community in Austria.

In an exchange of views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, President Thuong commended Austria's interest in enhancing relations with Southeast Asia. He noted that Vietnam stands ready to act as a bridge to strengthen Austria's ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while requesting Austria's assistance in enhancing Vietnam's relations with the EU.

Both leaders agreed to continue close coordination at regional and international forums, particularly within the United Nations and the ASEAN-EU cooperation framework, to contribute to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

Regarding the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea), both leaders reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability, safety, security, and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea following international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Thuong took the occasion to invite Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and his spouse to visit Vietnam, an invitation they gladly accepted.

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between their ministries of foreign affairs.

Meeting with Mayor of Vienna Michael Ludwig as part of his official visit to Austria, the Vietnamese leader congratulated Vienna on its developmental achievements and suggested the mayor encourage local businesses to expand their investment and business in Vietnam.

The Austrian capital, with its strengths in tourism, culture, urban management, environmental protection, heritage conservation and restoration, can cooperate with Hanoi and other Vietnamese localities to carry out specific joint activities, thus promoting the overall bilateral relationship, said President Thuong on Monday.

He also proposed Vienna provide favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the city to stabilise their lives, integrate well into local society, and preserve their cultural identity, acting as a bridge of friendship between the two nations.

For his part, Ludwig expressed his belief that the visit will be successful, contributing to enhancing the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries in the future.

Given the robust development of Vietnam-Austria relations, the city wants to strengthen collaboration with Vietnamese localities, especially in fields such as trade, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, culture, and art, stated the mayor.