Vietnam's Party General Secretary To Lam and Finland's President Alexander Stubb have agreed to upgrade the relationship between the two countries to a Strategic Partnership.
Within the framework of the official visit by the Party leader and his Spouse, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, to Finland from October 20-22, at the invitation of President Alexander Stubb, the two sides issued a Joint Statement on the establishment of a Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Finland.
According to the joint statement, both sides committed to enhancing high-level exchanges at all levels to strengthen political trust and mutual understanding. They also emphasized continued close cooperation at international and regional organizations, support for multilateralism, peaceful dispute resolution, and adherence to international law.
The two parties agreed that economic cooperation is a vital pillar of the strategic partnership. The two countries will promote bilateral trade and investment, leveraging existing bilateral and multilateral agreements. Finland will serve as a bridge to help Vietnamese goods access the EU market, while Vietnam will be a strategic destination for Finnish enterprises in Asia. Both sides pledged to foster a transparent, fair, and non-discriminatory trade and investment environment; enhanced business networking and exchanges; and improved access to financial resources.
The two countries will strengthen cooperation programs in areas such as e-government, online public services, circular economy, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor technology, 5G/6G telecommunications networks, and green technologies. Both sides expressed a desire to reinforce the startup and innovation ecosystem, accelerate innovation programs, and build capacity in digital governance, smart infrastructure, and emerging technologies.
Both parties expressed interest in promoting academic exchanges, scholarships, and joint programs/projects in areas such as leadership and management capacity building, educational technology, reskilling, and upskilling. Development cooperation will focus on innovation, environmental sustainability, and climate change adaptation, utilizing Finland’s concessional credit programs to implement projects in Vietnam, with priority given to green and innovative initiatives.
Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and circular economy, with emphasis on digital transformation, resource management, and climate change response. They also agreed to strengthen energy cooperation to support Vietnam’s transition to renewable energy, focusing on energy efficiency and emission reduction. In infrastructure and transportation, both parties committed to promoting smart urban development, green ports, aviation, and logistics, with a focus on high-tech applications and automation.
Both sides agreed to foster partnerships and cooperation between businesses, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people interactions to deepen friendship and mutual understanding. They also committed to promoting the signing and implementation of cooperation agreements between localities of the two countries.
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