Following a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Palace on May 7 (local time), General Secretary To Lam held talks with Azerbaijani President and Chairman of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, Ilham Aliyev.
The two leaders underscored the historical significance of the Joint Declaration establishing a Strategic Partnership between their nations.
President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady host the welcome ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and his spouse. Photo: Office of the President of Azerbaijan
President Ilham Aliyev highlighted that General Secretary To Lam’s visit would provide strong momentum for expanding cooperation across all fields. He recalled the lasting impressions from his 2014 visit to Vietnam, praising the country’s beauty, hospitality, dynamic development, and growing international stature. President Aliyev congratulated Vietnam on its impressive and sustainable achievements, noting that the country was on the right path in socio-economic development.
General Secretary To Lam affirmed that Vietnam always values its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Azerbaijan, a relationship rooted in President Ho Chi Minh’s visit to Azerbaijan in 1959 and strengthened through numerous high-level exchanges over the years. He emphasized Vietnam’s view of Azerbaijan as an important regional partner and expressed a desire to further deepen bilateral ties.
Over the past three decades, Vietnam-Azerbaijan relations have achieved significant milestones. Political and diplomatic ties have been maintained and reinforced; energy cooperation has progressed; and there remains great potential for collaboration in defense, security, trade, investment, and education and training.
President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady host the welcome ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and his spouse. Photo: Office of the President of Azerbaijan
High-level talks. Photo: Office of the President of Azerbaijan
To further tap this potential and navigate global challenges, General Secretary To Lam proposed five key initiatives aimed at driving practical, effective, and comprehensive cooperation.
These include enhancing the coordinating role of the Intergovernmental Committee on economic, trade, scientific, and technical cooperation, with a focus on expanding into new sectors such as processing industries, mechanical engineering, and chemicals, alongside strengthening energy and oil and gas partnerships.
Both sides should also intensify information exchange, explore investment opportunities, train human resources, and examine prospects in clean and renewable energy.
Enterprises are encouraged to boost communication, forge connections, and invest in each other’s markets.
There are calls for increased agricultural investment and expedited agreements on investment promotion and protection.
The two countries aim to leverage strengths in maritime and railway transportation, and foster greater local-level cooperation.
General Secretary To Lam and President Ilham Aliyev witness the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology and Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Digital Development and Transport. Photo: Office of the President of Azerbaijan
President Ilham Aliyev committed to directing efforts toward enhancing cooperation across all areas, especially in economy, trade, and investment. Given Azerbaijan’s geographic advantages, he expressed a desire to partner with Vietnam in logistics, seaports, railways, aviation, and renewable energy. He invited Vietnamese businesses to invest and operate in Azerbaijan, assuring them of favorable conditions.
The two leaders emphasized the historic significance of the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership, considering it a foundation for advancing bilateral relations and capitalizing on each country’s strengths in the new era.
They agreed to continue coordinating in multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
Vietnam expressed readiness to act as a bridge for Azerbaijan to strengthen ties with Southeast Asia, while Azerbaijan would do the same to help Vietnam expand its cooperation in Central Asia./.
