FOREIGN RELATION NEWS
General Secretary and President To Lam embarks on state visits to Mongolia and Ireland, participates in the 19th Francophonie Summit, and makes an official visit to France from September 30 to October 7.
This morning, General Secretary and President To Lam departed from Hanoi to begin state visits to Mongolia and Ireland, attend the 19th Francophonie Summit, and pay an official visit to France.
Party Chief and State President To Lam.
These trips, taking place from September 30 to October 7, are at the invitation of Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Irish President Michael D. Higgins, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Vietnamese delegation includes Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Chief of the Central Office of the Communist Party; Le Hoai Trung, Head of the Party's Central Committee for External Relations; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son; along with other ministers, officials, and Vietnamese ambassadors to Mongolia, Ireland, and France. Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son emphasized that the General Secretary and President’s visit reinforces Vietnam's foreign policy of multilateralization and diversification, underscoring the country's commitment to strengthening ties with these three nations and aiming to elevate cooperation frameworks.
Vietnam and Mongolia established diplomatic relations on November 17, 1954. Bilateral trade between the two nations exceeded $120 million in 2023. Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh made a state visit to Vietnam in November 2023. The upcoming visit by the General Secretary and President coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Vietnam and Ireland established diplomatic relations on April 5, 1996. Ireland is Vietnam's sixth-largest trading partner within the EU, with bilateral trade reaching nearly $3.5 billion in 2023 and almost $2.2 billion in the first half of this year. Vietnam is among nine priority countries for Ireland's development aid.
Vietnam and France established diplomatic relations on April 12, 1973, and elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership in 2013. France is Vietnam's fifth-largest European trading partner, with bilateral trade hitting $5.3 billion in 2022 and $4.8 billion in 2023. France is also Vietnam's top bilateral ODA donor in Europe, with Vietnam being the second-largest recipient of French ODA in Asia.
The Francophonie community includes 88 member states and territories, with 54 full members such as France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Switzerland, and African countries like Mali, Morocco, and Cameroon, as well as Asian nations such as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The community has a population of around 1.2 billion, representing 16% of global GDP and 20% of global trade. Vietnam hosted the first and only Francophonie Summit in Asia in 1997.
Ngoc Mai