HCMC – Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh arrived at Esenboga Airport in Ankara this morning, November 29 (Hanoi time), for an official visit to Turkey.
During his November 29-30 visit, the Vietnamese government leader will have separate meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Grand National Assembly Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, and other high-level Turkish officials.
He will be meeting with Turkish business leaders, participating in the Vietnam-Turkey Business Forum, and visiting economic, cultural, and historical landmarks in Turkey.
The 45-year diplomatic relationship between Vietnam and Turkey has seen remarkable progress. The strong bond between the two nations is demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic with reciprocal support, and joint efforts following the February 2023 earthquake in Turkey.
Bilateral trade between the two countries rose to a record high of US$3.2 billion in 2017 but faced disruptions due to the pandemic and thereby declined to US$1.6 billion in 2021. However, signs of a trade recovery emerged in 2022, with two-way trade amounting to US$2 billion.
The visit is expected to deepen the relationship between Vietnam and Turkey. Both nations view each other as crucial economic partners, with substantial potential, serving as gateways to regional markets, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Turkey Do Son Hai.
Turkey’s recent initiatives – the Asia Anew initiative and the trade strategy with distant countries – highlight Southeast Asian nations and Vietnam as potential partners. Vietnam sees Turkey as a significant economic partner in its plan for bolstering relations with the Middle East and Africa, according to Hai.
Following his Turkey trip, PM Chinh will arrive in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to participate in business forums, meet with political leaders, engage with leading UAE companies and attend the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), scheduled for December 1 to 2 in the UAE.
These visits coincide with the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Turkey and the 30th anniversary of Vietnam-UAE relations.
The official trips aim to strengthen political trust and invigorate collaboration across sectors, including economy, trade, investment, innovation, science, technology, and clean energy, according to Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet.
The PM’s visit to the UAE will help enhance economic ties between Vietnam and the UAE, with two-way trade exceeding US$5 billion in 2022. Negotiations are underway for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement between the two nations.
The COP28 summit underscores the pressing need for global cooperation to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement, which was adopted by 196 parties at COP21 and seeks to bolster international efforts in mitigating climate change by limiting global temperature rise this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with an aspiration to further restrain the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
During this conference, PM Chinh will deliver a speech on climate change and engage in essential activities with international partners to mobilize resources and support Vietnam in achieving its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050.
