Latvia, VN hold political consultation

Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (left) and State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andrejs Pildegovics

The sides expressed their delight at good developments in Viet Nam – Latvia traditional ties in recent time, especially the official visit to Latvia made by Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh in October 2017.

They applauded the close coordination between Viet Nam and Latvia at international and regional forums, particularly the United Nations (UN) and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

Son thanked Latvia for its commitment to backing Viet Nam’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 term.

Meanwhile,  Andrejs Pildegovics affirmed his country’s strong support for the early signing and ratification of the EU – Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement.

The two officials lauded progresses in Viet Nam – Latvia economic and trade cooperation cooperationover recent years.

Viet Nam is the largest trade partner of Latvia in Southeast Asia, and Latvia is also Viet Nam’s largest trade partner among the Baltic countries, with two-way trade reaching US$166 million last year, a ten-fold increase compared to 2010.

Welcoming the signing of a double taxation avoidance agreement, the sides agreed to soon begin negotiation of cooperation agreements on economics and education between Viet Nam and Latvia, aiming to finalise the legal framework and create favourable conditions to facilitate bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The two sides highly appreciated the cooperation outcomes between the two Foreign Ministries, including the maintenance of the political consultation mechanism and the close coordination in standpoints on important international issues.

They agreed on the importance of ensuring security and safety of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, and settling disputes in the waters by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, especially UNCLOS 1982.

By Vien Nhu