Vietnam and Dominica will work closely together to ramp up cooperation both bilaterally and multilaterally, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Bui Thanh Son and Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade and Energy of Dominica Vince Henderson agreed during their talks in Hanoi on March 20.

Son welcomed Henderson’s visit to Vietnam, saying the guest is the first cabinet member of the Commonwealth of Dominica to visit Vietnam, especially at a time when the two countries are celebrating their 10th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year.

Vietnam attaches great importance to strengthening relations with Dominica and hopes that the two sides will continue to explore cooperation possibilities to match the potential and strengths of each country, especially in the fields of economy - trade, agriculture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Son suggested that the two sides further strengthen visit exchanges, as well as meetings of their leaders on the sidelines of international conferences, and at the same time foster cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral forums.   

Minister Vince Henderson for his part expressed Dominica’s admiration for the achievements in foreign affairs and socio-economic development Vietnam has recorded in recent times, and affirmed that Dominica always wishes to strengthen relations with Vietnam.

He highly appreciated Vietnam’s growing position in the region and the world, as evidenced by its successful performance during the past two terms as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council. He expressed his belief that Vietnam will continue to reap greater success when it is working now as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term.

Henderson agreed with Son’s proposals, and at the same time asked Vietnam to share its development experience. He expected that the two sides would promote cooperation in the fields of agriculture, fishing, as well as in response to climate change and sea level rise.

During their talks, the two sides agreed to strengthen Vietnam’s cooperation with countries in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as well as the relations between Dominica and Southeast Asia. They also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern.

While staying in Vietnam till March 22, Minister Henderson is scheduled to have meetings with leaders of a number of private enterprises, including Vietnam’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer Vinfast, and visit several tourism and cultural sites in Hanoi.

VOV