Spain, Vietnam to upgrade ties to comprehensive strategic partnership

Talking to Party General Secretary To Lam, PM Sánchez congratulated Vietnam on the 50th anniversary of Reunification Day and expressed appreciation for Vietnam's role and position in the region and globally, as well as in Spain's foreign policy.

He affirmed Spain's readiness to serve as a bridge to further promote Vietnam-EU relations and emphasized the vision to upgrade bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

General Secretary Lam told his guest that Vietnam is pursuing market diversification with regions worldwide, including the EU and Africa, promoting the development and application of science and technology, and enhancing trade exchanges with traditional partners, including Spain.

PM Sánchez highlighted the similarities and complementary nature between the Spanish and Vietnamese economies, pledging to urge other EU nations to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), which Spain ratified in 2022.

He also suggested Vietnam send a delegation to Spain to learn from its experience aimed at prompting the European Commission to soon remove the illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing 'yellow card' warning against Vietnamese seafood.

Both sides agreed to reinforce cooperation in the fields of national defense-security, agriculture, and education-training, while also exploring promising fields like innovation, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and digital transformation.

Particularly, General Secretary Lam emphasized enhancing cooperation in science and technology, and transportation – areas of Spain's strengths and Vietnam's needs.

PM Sánchez affirmed that Spanish enterprises are eager to participate in infrastructure and railway projects to contribute to Vietnam's modernization and dynamic development, given that Spain is a country with the world's second-longest high-speed rail system.

Both sides underlined the need for Vietnam and Spain to continue close coordination at multilateral forums and international organizations, promoting multilateralism and adherence to international law to address regional and global challenges, especially in the context of rapid and complex global changes, including the East Vietnam Sea issue.

On this occasion, Party leader Lam suggested that the Spanish government continue facilitating the Vietnamese community's stable life and integration in Spain to practically contribute to the socio-economic development of the host country as well as the traditional friendship between the two nations.

Also on Wednesday, Vietnamese State President Luong Cuong and PM Sánchez had a meeting, during which the latter affirmed that Vietnam is one of Spain's top priority partners in Southeast Asia and reiterated the desire to upgrade relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

He expressed the desire to continue accompanying Vietnam in its upcoming development journey, especially in areas where Spain has extensive experience and strengths, such as transportation infrastructure, renewable energy, and tourism.

Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in defense-security, particularly in personnel training, defense industry, UN peacekeeping, war aftermath mitigation in Vietnam, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism, transnational crime prevention, and illegal migration.

The two leaders agreed to continue effectively implementing and leveraging the significant opportunities of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to further deepen the all-round cooperation between the two nations.

On the same day, Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man held talks with PM Sánchez, affirming that Vietnam is ready to serve as a bridge to promote relations between the Spanish Parliament and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

Man suggested both sides maintain regular meetings of the two countries' parliamentary friendship groups.

PM Sánchez emphasized the desire to promote cooperation between the two countries in areas of Spain's strength and noted that a meeting between the Spanish government and the Vietnamese community in Spain would be organized soon to listen to the opinions and aspirations of the Vietnamese people in Spain.

Chairman Man thanked Spain for ratifying the EVIPA and suggested Spain encourage other EU countries to soon ratify this agreement, contributing to promoting equal investment cooperation and facilitating Spanish enterprises operating in Vietnam.