Vietnamese President Luong Cuong and King Philippe of Belgium (Photo: VOV)

President Cuong made the statement while meeting with Belgian King Philippe after hosting an official welcome ceremony for the latter in Hanoi on Tuesday morning.

At the meeting, President Cuong extended a warm welcome to King Philippe and his delegation on their first state visit to Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973, marking an important milestone and opening a new chapter in their friendly relations.

The Vietnamese State leader thanked the Belgian people for their invaluable support to Vietnam during its struggles for national independence and acknowledged the King and Queen's personal contributions to propelling ties between the two countries forward.

King Philippe expressed his pleasure in visiting Vietnam again after three previous trips as Crown Prince. He thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, and people for the warm reception extended to him and his delegation.

The King congratulated Vietnam on its impressive socio-economic progress and emphasized the country's pivotal role and position in the Asia-Pacific region. He reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in areas where both nations hold significant potential.

The two leaders discussed key directions to further deepen the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Belgium, intensify high-level exchanges, facilitate delegation visits, and enhance cooperation across various channels, including the Party, State, Government, and National Assembly.

Both agreed on the importance of continuing to carry out existing cooperation mechanisms effectively while exploring new opportunities for specialized collaboration.

The two leaders also agreed to boost closer coordination at international forums such as the ASEAN-EU framework, Francophonie, and the United Nations, especially during their tenure as members of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term.

On this occasion, President Cuong expressed gratitude for Belgium's approval of the Belgian Federal Parliament's Resolution supporting Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.

President Cuong highlighted the importance of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and called for Belgium's swift ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to promote balanced and mutually beneficial investment ties.

He encouraged Belgian businesses to invest in Vietnam, particularly in high technology, renewable energy, and strategic infrastructure, and urged Belgium to advocate for the European Commission to lift the IUU "yellow card" imposed on Vietnam's seafood exports.

King Philippe expressed hope that Belgian enterprises specializing in wastewater treatment, energy, and rare mineral exploitation will engage in investment and business ventures in Vietnam.

The two leaders stressed the importance of advancing the Strategic Partnership in agriculture by developing circular agricultural models, promoting smart agriculture, and enhancing technology transfer in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. These initiatives will support Vietnam's efforts to tackle climate change, particularly in the Mekong Delta. They agreed to explore an agricultural cooperation program between Vietnam and Belgium’s regions.

In addition, the two sides agreed to broaden cooperation in areas such as education and training, culture and tourism, defense and security, science and technology, and local cooperation. They also discussed expanding into emerging areas like green technology, artificial intelligence, innovation, high technology, and promoting the startup ecosystem and high-quality human resource development, particularly in the semiconductor industry.

President Cuong thanked Belgium for its support of the Vietnamese community in Belgium, urging Belgian authorities to continue offering favorable conditions for the community to successfully integrate, contribute to the development of Belgium, and serve as a bridge for enhancing bilateral ties.

On regional and international issues, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to promoting multilateralism and respect for international law. They underscored the need for peaceful resolution of disputes in the East Sea, in line with the United Nations Charter and international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This will contribute to maintaining peace, security, and freedom of navigation and aviation, benefiting global cooperation and prosperity.

Following the meeting, both leaders witnessed the signing of several cooperation documents, including the Cooperation Program for 2025-2027 between the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Brussels Capital Region; a Memorandum of Understanding between the Institute of Hydrometeorology and Climate Change under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Flemish Institute for Technological Research; a Memorandum of Understanding between the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency and the Flanders Investment and Trade and Wallonia Export & Investment Agency; and an in-principle Agreement between the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin and the Aquitara Impact Fund 1 of Belgium.