Poland wishes to foster multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam, the most significant partner of Poland in Southeast Asia, visiting Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau has stressed in Hanoi.

Minister Rau was speaking during his talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Thursday, as part of his two-day visit, starting a day earlier, to Vietnam at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son.

Rau said he is impressed with Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements and stated that Poland wants to expand its comprehensive cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation, especially in areas where Poland has strengths, such as smart city building, green technology, environmental protection, and information technology.

He emphasized in the presence of PM Chinh that Poland regards Vietnam as its most vital partner in Southeast Asia.

The guest and host exchanged views on a number of measures to beef up cooperation in education and training, science and technology, culture, tourism, and agriculture.

PM Chinh told Minister Rau that Vietnam wishes to deepen its multifaceted cooperation with Poland, its traditional friend and partner in Central and Eastern Europe.

The host said that Vietnam encourages Polish investors to step up investment in the fields of pharmaceuticals, food processing, and manufacturing in the country.

He suggested that Poland soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement, which he said will facilitate equal and mutually beneficial investment cooperation between the two countries.

The Vietnamese government chief also proposed that Poland urge the European Commission to soon remove the ‘yellow card’ warning for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing on Vietnamese seafood products.

Such removal will not only ensure livelihoods for workers in the Vietnamese fishery industry, but also serves the interests of both Polish and EU consumers, Chinh stressed, citing the fact that the EU was once among Vietnam's leading seafood export markets before the imposition of the warning.

The PM requested Poland to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese agricultural, forestry, and fishery products to further penetrate into the Polish market.

Despite the heavy impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries’ economic and trade cooperation has been thriving, with annual bilateral trade standing at a high level of over US$2.5 billion in both 2021 and 2022, Chinh said.

The PM expressed thanks for Poland’s donation of nearly 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and eight metric tons of medical equipment to Vietnam during the pandemic that started hitting the country in early 2020.

Chinh also thanked the Polish government for its support for the Vietnamese community in Poland, as well as for the Vietnamese citizens who have been evacuated from Ukraine to Poland since the war there erupted in February last year.

The host and guest agreed that both countries would continue mutual cooperation and coordination at multilateral and regional forums.

Regarding the East Vietnam Sea issue, they laid emphasis on the importance of ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the maritime area, while agreeing to settle disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Earlier on Thursday, Rau had talks with Foreign Minister Son, saying Vietnam is one of Poland’s most potential markets in Southeast Asia.

The Polish diplomat suggested that Vietnam create more favorable conditions for some Polish products, such as beef, poultry, and blueberries, to enter the Vietnamese market.

The two ministers agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in various fields including education and training, agriculture, natural resources, environment, culture, tourism, health, labor, information technology, communication, and monument restoration.

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