Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse Le Thi Bich Tran left Hanoi on Sunday morning for official visits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, and a working visit to Saudi Arabia, where he will attend the eighth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The trips, to last until November 1, are made at the respective invitations of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman.

Accompanying the prime minister and his spouse are Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Tran Van Son, and the Ministers of Industry and Trade, Information and Communications, Science and Technology, and other ministries.

Vietnamese Ambassadors to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, namely Nguyen Thanh Diep, Dang Xuan Dung, and Nguyen Huy Hiep, are also part of the entourage.

The trips mark the first official visits to the UAE and Qatar by a Vietnamese premier over the past 15 years, and the first-ever visit to Saudi Arabia since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1999.

As part of the trips, PM Chinh will attend the eighth edition of FII, which is scheduled for October 29-31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, centering on global investments.

The Vietnamese chief of government will be the only high-ranking leader in Asia to deliver a speech at the event.

According to the foreign ministry, PM Chinh’s trips highlight Vietnam's deep respect for its relationships with the three Middle Eastern nations, which are some of the largest economies in the region.

The trips have been scheduled with the aim of creating new momentum for further boosting the multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and the three nations, as well as the entire region, the ministry said.

"The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are vital, long-term partners for Vietnam in the Middle East. These countries see Vietnam as a key partner in Southeast Asia, following their ‘Look East’ policy," Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang told the media ahead of the premier’s trips.

She underscored that the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are partners, markets, investors, financial centers, and technology centers with great potential and room for cooperation with Vietnam.

Hang stated that the trips reflect Vietnam's foreign policy of multilateralization and diversification of external ties, prioritizing the diversification of markets, partners, and supply chains to attract maximum resources for national development.

PM Chinh will hold talks with top leaders of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, and meet with representatives from leading investment funds and economic groups in these countries to discuss concrete steps to comprehensively and efficiently boost cooperation ties, Hang said.

These discussions will cover the traditional fields such as market opening, high-quality investment attraction, and cooperation in labor, education, culture, sports, tourism, and people-to-people exchange.

PM Chinh and his hosts will focus on new areas for cooperation, including science and technology, clean energy, digital transformation, innovation, Halal industry development, and climate change response.

He will also deliver important speeches conveying messages about Vietnam's development orientation and foreign policy, not only in relation to the three countries but also the Middle East region, Hang added.

Of the three countries, the UAE is currently Vietnam’s largest export market in the Middle East-Africa region, with Vietnamese exports to the country in the first seven months of this year amounting to US$3.37 billion, up 57 percent from a year earlier, the ministry reported. 

Last year saw Vietnam-UAE trade reaching $4.7 billion, up 6.8 percent year on year.

As of June 2024, the UAE had 41 foreign direct investment projects worth $71.6 million in Vietnam.

The two countries started negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in June 2023 and are aiming to complete them during PM Chinh's visit.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is Vietnam's third-largest trading partner in the Middle East-North Africa region, with bilateral trade hitting $2.68 billion last year.

As of June 2024, Saudi Arabia had eight investment projects worth $8.57 million in Vietnam.

Regarding Qatar, the ministry assessed it as a potential economic and investment partner of Vietnam, with two-way trade reaching $497.2 million last year.

Qatar currently has one investment project in Vietnam in the processing and manufacturing industry with a total registered capital of $3.23 million, according to the ministry.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on X to get the latest news about Vietnam!