Delegations from Vietnam and Italy have signed a draft agreement confirmation and memorandum of understanding on the mutual protection and exchange of confidential information between the two governments.

The signing took place in Rome, Italy on Wednesday when negotiators from both countries concluded their two-day negotiations.

Both sides agreed to report to relevant agencies of each country for permission to sign the official treaty as soon as possible.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Major General Vu Hong Van, head of the Department of Internal Political Security under the Ministry of Public Security, while the Italian delegation was headed by Major General Gianfranco Carozza, head of the Department of Law and International Relations.

Vietnam and Italy established diplomatic ties in 1973 and have spent the past 50 years engaging in cooperative information exchanges, including the exchange of state secrets.

However, the provision and transfer of confidential information do not have a legal basis to bind each party to the process of managing, using, and protecting confidential information.

In order to establish such a framework, the two sides held negotiations and created a draft agreement in English.

The negotiations ended with the signing of a draft agreement confirmation, as well as a memorandum of understanding.

Over the past 50 years, diplomatic ties between the countries have steadily developed in terms of diplomacy, the economy, and culture.

Italy was the first Western European country to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam following the signature of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973.

Vietnam is currently Italy’s largest trading partner in ASEAN while Italy is Vietnam’s fourth-largest EU partner, with trade between the two nations amounting to US$6.2 billion last year, up 11 percent from 2021.

The two countries have built several coordination mechanisms including joint committees on economic relations.

They have held dialogues on foreign affairs and defense at the deputy-minister level.

Both sides have inked several cooperative agreements in tourism, air transport, crime prevention, and visa exemption.

They also maintain regular high-level visits and promote close coordination at international and local forums such as the UN, Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), ASEAN-EU framework, and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). 

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