General Secretary and President To Lam and Swiss President Guy Parmelin held talks in Hanoi on October 17 afternoon, following an official welcome ceremony hosted by the top Vietnamese leader and his spouse for the Swiss President and his spouse.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin and his spouse, along with a high-ranking Swiss delegation, arrived in Hanoi on October 17 morning, for an official visit to Vietnam, at the invitation of General Secretary and President To Lam and his spouse.
At the talks, General Secretary and President To Lam, as quoted by the Government News, reiterated that Vietnam always attaches importance to its Comprehensive Partnership with Switzerland, expressing his wish that the two nations will continue working together to advance national development and contribute to peace, stability and development in the region.
President Parmelin, for his part, affirmed that the upcoming signing of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries would provide a good opportunity for businesses to tap into potential cooperation, the Government News reported.
Countries with medium-sized economies could coordinate via joint economic initiatives to promote multilateralism and free trade, he noted, inviting Viet Nam to participate in the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership initiative, according to the Swiss President.
He hailed Vietnam's balanced foreign policy, which has helped the Southeast Asian country establish its standing in the region and the world.
The two leaders vowed to strengthen political trust through exchanges of delegations and high-level meetings, as well as mutual support at multilateral forums.
They emphasized the need for both sides to further elevate trade and investment cooperation following the signing of the Vietnam–EFTA Free Trade Agreement; and encourage more Swiss businesses to invest in Vietnam, particularly in the seaport sector.
The two leaders agreed to foster cooperation between their specialized agencies and financial and banking institutions in digital finance, blockchain technology, digital assets and financial technology (fintech) areas.
Both sides also agreed to make science, technology and innovation a key pillar of bilateral cooperation by utilizing existing cooperation mechanisms between their national science and technology development funds, and strengthening partnership between the two countries' universities and research institutes.
The two sides concurred to boost collaboration in such fields like environment, culture and tourism, make defense and security an important area of bilateral cooperation, especially peacekeeping and crime prevention, and step up people-to-people exchanges.
The two leaders pledged to continue bolstering the bilateral cooperation in line with the Comprehensive Partnership framework and capitalize on the advantages of the Vietnam–EFTA Free Trade Agreement.
On this occasion, the leaders witnessed the exchange of several cooperation documents between their ministries and agencies in the fields of labor, science and technology, trade, and urban development.
The Swiss President invited Vietnam to attend the Global AI Summit 2027, scheduled to take place in Switzerland in 2027, with the aim of further promoting cooperation in AI.
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