Receiving Portuguese Ambassador Joaquim Alberto De Sousa Moreira De Lemos, the first resident ambassador of Portugal to Vietnam, General Secretary and State President Lam called on both countries to make full use of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), with the aim of raising two-way trade to 1 billion USD. He also urged Portugal to encourage the remaining EU member states to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), support the early removal of the European Commission's "yellow card" warning on Vietnamese seafood exports, and expand cooperation in areas, such as the maritime economy, shipping, digital technology, pharmaceuticals and energy. The Party and State leader proposed strengthening cooperation in culture, sports, people-to-people exchanges and local partnerships, while asking Portugal to continue creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community living there.
Welcoming Iranian Ambassador Akbar Ghasemi Ali Abadi, General Secretary and State President Lam welcomed the recent peace memorandum reached between the US and Iran, expressing his hope that the two countries will soon conclude a lasting and sustainable agreement that will completely end the conflict and bring long-term peace to the Iranian people. He affirmed that Vietnam stands ready to contribute, within its capabilities, to supporting that objective.
He suggested that the ambassador work closely with Vietnamese agencies to advance cooperation in four priority areas - enhancing political trust, promoting economic cooperation, making science and technology a new breakthrough in bilateral relations, and strengthening cooperation in culture, education, training and tourism.
In his meeting with US Ambassador Jennifer Wicks, General Secretary and State President Lam proposed maintaining exchanges at all levels, making full use of existing dialogue mechanisms, and concluding negotiations and signing the Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair and Balanced Trade (ART) at an early date, thereby strengthening economic, trade and investment cooperation as a key pillar of bilateral ties. He also called for expanded cooperation in science and technology, innovation, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, education and training, healthcare, energy and people-to-people exchanges.
Also on Monday, General Secretary and State President To Lam received the Ambassadors of Mongolia and Myanmar.
