Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had brief meetings with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedow, and Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed on the sidelines of the expanded BRICS Summit in Kazan city of Russia on October 23 evening (local time), according to a report from the Vietnam News Agency.

In the meeting with President Tokayev of Kazakhstan, PM Chinh affirmed that Kazakhstan is Vietnam's important partner in Central Asia. Vietnam always treasures and wants to further strengthen the three-decade-long friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Kazakhstan, which have been nurtured by leaders and citizens of both nations, the PM said.

Both leaders agreed to increase the exchange of all-level delegations, promote economic-trade-investment ties to lift two-way trade, and foster cooperation in transport, aviation, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

President Tokayev asked PM Chinh to convey his congratulations to newly-elected State President Luong Cuong. He expressed his wish to soon welcome Party General Secretary To Lam and President Luong Cuong in Kazakhstan. He thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their warm welcome during his visit in August 2023 and reiterated his good impressions on the land and people of Vietnam.

Engaging with President Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan, PM Chinh affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to its traditional friendship with Turkmenistan and wishes to deepen collaboration with the country in all fields, especially in enhancing all-level exchanges and contacts, trade and investment, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The President of Turkmenistan spoke highly of the role and position of Vietnam, as well as the achievements the country has made in its reform and development efforts. He agreed on the need to implement measures to promote the traditional relationship between the two countries in the future, particularly by enhancing delegation exchanges and high-level contacts, and exploring solutions to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation.

In his conversation with the Ethiopian PM, the Vietnamese leader noted Vietnam’s eagerness to further cultivate comprehensive cooperation with Ethiopia, one of its important partners in Africa. He also proposed stronger coordination in such promising areas as trade, investment and agriculture.

PM Abiy Ahmed affirmed that Ethiopia treasures its relationship with Vietnam and expressed his admiration for Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements. He acknowledged Vietnam's position and role on the international stage and agreed that both sides need to further enhance bilateral cooperation in the near future. He also expressed a desire to welcome high-ranking Vietnamese leaders in Ethiopia soon.