Việt Nam, Belarus hold great cooperation potential: Foreign minister

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn (right) had a meeting with Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikalai Barysevich in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VnExpress News Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and Belarus have a reliable political relationship, and a lot of potential for cooperation in various fields, especially economics, trade and investment, said Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn during his reception for visiting Belarusian Deputy FM Mikalai Barysevich in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

Sơn welcomed the Belarusian official’s visit to Việt Nam to co-chair a political consultation at the deputy ministerial level between the two ministries, saying that Việt Nam always attached great importance to and wished to develop the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Belarus. He appreciated Belarus’s granting medical equipment and supplies to support Việt Nam’s fight against COVID-19 last December.

Barysevich expressed his pleasure to visit Việt Nam on the 30th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations. He said he appreciated and congratulated Việt Nam on fulfilling its role of a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-21 tenure, while emphasising Belarus’s desire to promote cooperation with Việt Nam in the fields of defence, security, economics, trade, investment, education-training, culture and local cooperation.

Earlier, the visiting Belarusian diplomat along with Vietnamese counterpart Tô Anh Dũng co-chaired a political consultation between the two Foreign Ministries in Hà Nội, during which both sides agreed on many measures to bolster bilateral cooperation in all fields.

The two Deputy FMs concurred to resume the exchange of delegations at all levels in the new normal situation and expand collaboration in defence, security, economy-trade, investment, education and culture-tourism as well as among localities of both countries.

Dũng expressed delight at the recovery in two-way trade in 2021 and proposed that the two sides further optimise the free trade agreement between Việt Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union, in which Belarus is a member, to increase trade exchange.

Regarding regional and international issues of shared concern, the two sides agreed that the two countries would continue working closely together and support each other at international forums, contributing to peace and stability in the region and the world.

The Belarusian Deputy FM handed a diplomatic note to the Vietnamese side, stating that Belarus would support Việt Nam’s candidacy for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council for 2023-25. — VnExpress News