Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreaign Affairs Ngo Le Van and Marek Estok, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia, who is on a working visit to Vཧietnam, co-chaired the Vietnam - Slovakia pܫolitical consultation in Hanoi on July 9.

The two sides briefed updates on the situation in each country, reviewed bilateral cooperation in recent time, and discussed specific directions and measures to further strengthen the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in the time to come. They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern. They agreed to step up action coordination between their foreign ministries, including promoting delegation exchanges at all levels through Party, State, and parliament channels to enhance political trust and mutual understanding; continue holding regular deputy ministerial-level political consultations, while exploring the possibility of expanding cooperation mechanisms between agencies of the two foreign ministries.

The Slovak delegation showed their admiration and appreciation for Vietnam’s recent socio-economic development achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. They affirmed that Slovakia highly values its traditional friendship with Vietnam and considers Vietnam a top priority partner in Southeast Asia, and desires to expand cooperation with the nation across all fields. Estok described Vietnam as a potential economic partner for Slovakia in Southeast Asia, noting that a growing number of Slovak businesses are interested in expanding their investment and operations in the country. He affirmed that Slovakia will advocate the remaining member states of the European Union (EU) to soon ratify the EU – Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and support the European Commission (EC) to lift the “yellow card” against Vietnam’s seafood exports. He urged the two nations’ foreign ministries to bolster cooperation and strengthen their coordinating role to facilitate deeper bilateral ties between relevant ministries, sectors, and localities, especially cooperation in economy, trade, investment, security - defence, education - training, information technology, culture and tourism, and labour. He also called for continued close coordination at multilateral forums such as the UN, and efforts to promote relations between ASEAN and both Slovakia and the EU. Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two sides emphasised the importance of resolving disputes and conflicts through peaceful measures, based on international law and with full respect for the UN Charter. Regarding the East Sea, the two sides underscored the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the sea, reaffirming the need to uphold international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS). Estok praised the positive contributions of the Vietnamese community in Slovakia to the host country’s socio-economic development. For his part, Van expressed called on Slovak authorities at all levels to continue supporting the Vietnamese community, helping them to live stably, integrate well into local society, and further promote their role as a bridge for cooperation between the two countries. Hosting the Slovak delegation, Pham Gia Tuc, Deputy Chief of the Party Central Committee’s Office praised the visit and emphasised that the political consultation offers a valuable opportunity to review bilateral cooperation and identify concrete measures to further deepen the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two nations./.