During their discussions on June 14 in Hanoi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his visiting colleague from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, emphasized the many opportunities for the countries to further strengthen their relationship.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s foreign minister, visited Vietnam on June 13 and 14, 2023, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son. According to Foreign Minister Son, the recent exchange of delegations between the two sides at different levels is an outstanding instance of the positive development momentum in their bilateral ties, particularly as they celebrate the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations this year (1993–2023).
The two Foreign Ministers spoke about the development of the friendship and varied cooperation between Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates since the second political consultation between the two Ministries in February, especially in such potential sectors as politics, diplomacy, investment, the economy, trade, renewable energy, oil and gas, and tourism.
The UAE’s foreign minister praised Vietnam’s expanding influence in the region and throughout the world and stated that his nation views Vietnam as a crucial ally in Southeast Asia and seeks to improve bilateral ties.
In order to achieve a breakthrough in bilateral collaboration, they agreed that it was necessary to increase the ministries’ coordination functions and the exchange of delegations at all levels, particularly at the high level, actively coordinate with and assist one another at multilateral fora, and enhance the efficacy of their political consultation mechanisms.
According to Foreign Minister Son, Vietnam supports the UAE’s decision to host the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) and would actively collaborate with it and other participating nations to ensure its success.
The ministers stated that it is also essential to highlight Vietnam’s and the UAE’s contributions to the connection between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The ministers also decided to speed up talks to sign cooperation agreements in the fields of human resources, agriculture, and technology. They also agreed to keep working toward an early conclusion and signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two nations in 2023.
They suggested the parties work to increase their cooperative efforts in areas such as oil and gas, renewable energy, climate change response, environmental protection, innovation, sustainable development, skilled labor, tourism, and the Halal industry. They also said there was a need for better connections between the countries’ businesses, localities, and investment funds.
The Foreign Ministers decided to organize cultural and sporting events jointly and step up people-to-people exchanges to commemorate the 30th diplomatic anniversary.
Following their discussions, the two foreign ministers watched the Vietnamese Diplomatic Academy and the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy of the United Arab Emirates sign a Memorandum of Understanding.
