On the morning of November 17 (local time), right after the official welcoming ceremony was solemnly held at Bayan Palace, Kuwait, Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Kuwait King Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam informed.
At the meeting, King Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah emphasized that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit marked a new turning point in Vietnam - Kuwait relations and affirmed that Vietnam has a strategic position in Kuwait's foreign policy.
The King hopes that the two sides will expand cooperation in the fields of economy - trade - investment, food security, science - technology as well as coordinate positions on international issues.
The Prime Minister thanked the King for his affection and direct direction in promoting bilateral relations, achieving many important achievements as well as organizing this visit.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh respectfully conveyed the greetings of General Secretary To Lam; Politburo member, President Luong Cuong and senior leaders of Vietnam to King Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the Royal Family.
Affirming the determination of the two countries to deepen the friendship, opening a new phase of dynamic, comprehensive and effective cooperation, towards the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Kuwait (1976 - 2026), King Kuwait Sheikhhal Mes Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh agreed to upgrade the relationship to a Strategic Partnership, meeting the aspirations and interests of the people of the two countries.
On that basis, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that the monarch of Kuwait continue to pay attention to promoting the development of bilateral relations commensurate with the scale and new requirements, focusing on promoting and creating breakthroughs.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed 9 key areas of cooperation in the coming time, which are enhancing political trust between the two countries, actively exchanging high-level delegations; promoting pillars of energy cooperation, expanding oil and gas cooperation; creating breakthroughs in investment relations; hoping that the King will direct the Kuwait Investment Agency to increase investment in Vietnam, especially the International Financial Center in Ho Chi Minh City; strongly promoting trade;
Request the King to support early negotiations and signing of the FTA for Vietnam - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); early negotiations on the Food Security Agreement and projects to support the development of the Halal ecosystem in Vietnam;
Promote cooperation in defense and security, cooperation in developing dual-use defense equipment, including UAVs, participating in each other's defense exhibitions, cooperation in handling non-traditional security challenges and the desire to strengthen Kuwait's cybersecurity cooperation to soon participate in signing the Hanoi Convention against Cybercrime; promote cooperation in science and technology, innovation, digital transformation in various fields;
Strengthen tourism cooperation, promote people-to-people exchanges, labor cooperation, culture, sports, education and training.
