President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (L). Photo: VNA

During their talks in Singapore on February 25, PM Loong expressed his belief that the positive results of President Phuc’s visit, coupled with important cooperation achievements would add fresh impetus to the joint strategic partnership, VOV reported.

President Phuc said Vietnam always attached great importance to and gave the highest priority to constantly consolidating and developing the strategic partnership with Singapore.

He hailed the remarkable progress achieved by the Government and people of Singapore over the past 55 years and expressed his belief that the city-island state would continue to thrive.

The two leaders displayed their elation at the growing and effective strategic partnership across a variety of fields, with increasingly close political and diplomatic cooperation.

Additionally, co-operation in defence-security, culture, education, tourism, people-to-people exchanges continues to enjoy positive developments.

In the lead up to the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations and 10 years of their strategic partnership in 2023, President Phuc and Prime Minister Loong exchanged and agreed on major directions for bilateral cooperation across several fields.

The two sides agreed to restore high-level visits and meetings, enhance defence and security co-operation, and implement bilateral cooperation mechanisms, especially on connecting the two economies.

The two leaders consented to expand cooperation in the fields of innovation, digital transformation, the digital economy, along with green and sustainable development.

The two leaders welcomed the mutual recognition of vaccine certificates, which facilitate travelling of and contribute to post-pandemic recovery and socioeconomic development in each country.

The two sides voiced their support for ASEAN's active role in helping Myanmar overcome its current crisis and speed up the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus agreed at the ASEAN Leaders Meeting in Jakarta in April, 2021.

They also underlined the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea (Bien Dong Sea).

They highlighted not using or threatening to use force; peacefully solving disputes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and negotiating to reach a substantive and effective Code of Conduc in the waters in line with international law.

President Phuc conveyed his greetings and an invitation to visit Vietnam by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to Prime Minister Loong.

President Phuc and Prime Minister Loong witness the exchange of bilateral cooperation documents signed by government agencies of the two countries. Photo: VNA

After the talks, President Phuc and Prime Minister Loong witnessed the exchange of five bilateral cooperation documents signed in defence, economy, trade, intellectual property, digital economic co-operation, and people-to-people exchanges.

President Phuc meets host Singaporean counterpart

The same day, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with his host Singaporean counterpart Halimah Yacob who expressed her belief that the Vietnamese leader’s visit will contribute to raising the bilateral strategic partnership to a new high, according to VietnamPlus.

Phuc affirmed that Vietnam always wished to boost the bilateral strategic partnership practically and effectively.

The two reached consensus on major cooperation to mark the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets with his host Singaporean counterpart Halimah Yacob. Photo: VNA

Accordingly, the two countries will soon resume all-level delegation exchanges, and maintain bilateral cooperation l to remove difficulties, and beef up cooperation in specific spheres.

They will focus on boosting economic links and pay attention to cooperation in such areas as digital economy, digital transformation, innovation, high-quality human resources development, and green, sustainable growth.

They also agreed to foster partnerships in other fields like education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchange, as well as cooperation at regional and international forums.

President Phuc invited President Yacob and her spouse to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time. The Singaporean leader accepted the invitation with pleasure.

President Phuc meets Speaker of Singaporean Parliament

President Phuc met Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore Tan Chuan-Jin on February 25 as part of his ongoing State visit.

Speaker of the Parliament Tan congratulated Vietnam on the socio-economic achievements that the country has recorded in recent times despite Covid-19.

President Phuc showed his pleasure with the two legislatures' close cooperation over the years, with substantive results of the online talks between Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore Tan Chuan-Jin in July last year.

He informed the host that the Vietnamese NA has established the Vietnam-ASEAN Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, with an aim of strengthening the exchange among Vietnamese NA deputies and their peers from ASEAN member countries, including Singapore, and contributing to promoting people-to-people exchanges

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore Tan Chuan-Jin and other delegates take a photo at the Parliament Building of Singapore. Photo: VNA

Both sides agreed to maintain and strengthen meetings and exchange of delegations at all levels, while continuing to promote the role of the legislative bodies of both sides in bolstering bilateral relations, especially through sharing experience in institutional building and legal system completion, contributing to fostering economic connectivity and digital economy and digital society.

President Phuc proposed that both sides increase the sharing of experience in issuing legal policies to give support to the two governments in disease prevention and control and improvement of the investment and business environment.

The two legislatures should consider the signing of a cooperation agreement to lay a foundation for collaboration activities to match the strategic partnership between the two countries, he suggested.

President Phuc conveyed NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s invitation to visit Vietnam to Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore Tan Chuan-Jin.

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