Vietnam, Austria look towards broader all-around cooperation

Their talks were held immediately after the official welcome ceremony for Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse.

During the talks, the Austrian President affirmed that his nation values the long-standing friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam, which was established in 1972.

Austria regards Vietnam as an important partner in its foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific, especially in trade and investment, he said, adding that the country aspires to further strengthen bilateral relations in the fields of economy, education and culture.

In response, the Vietnamese State leader stated that Vietnam always desire to reinforce the friendship and all-around collaboration with Austria, its reliable friend in the European Union.

In order to consolidate political trust and tap into both nations’ huge cooperation potential, the leaders consented to facilitate the exchange of delegations at all levels and across various channels. They will effectively carry out existing cooperation mechanisms and also study the establishment of new cooperation mechanisms that are suitable for the new context.

President Thuong proposed that both sides continue working hand in hand and effectively utilize the benefits of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), including facilitating access to each other's markets for their respective strong export items.

Austria was asked to offer favourable conditions for its firms to increase investments in Vietnam, particularly in industries such as automobile support industries, railway, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals.

Highlighting Vietnam as Austria's biggest partner in Southeast Asia, the Austrian President hoped that both sides will pay attention improving the bilateral trade balance.
Thuong also suggested Austria back the European Commission’s removal of yellow card warning against Vietnam’s aquatic products, thereby enabling Vietnam to export them to the EU.

He also proposed Austria prioritise Vietnam in its official development assistance (ODA) funding and issue more favourable loan policies, particularly for projects on health care, environment protection, vocational training, firefighting, and rescue operations.

The Austrian President hailed the ongoing discussions about preferential loans from the Austrian Government and hoped that sustainable cooperation projects could be implemented soon.

The two sides pledged to ramp up cooperation in education-training, culture-arts, and sports, and people-to-people exchange. The host agreed with the gueste's proposal to continue supporting the Vietnamese community in Austria, who serve as a bridge for bilateral friendship.

Regarding the global and regional issues of mutual concern, the Vietnamese State leader glowingly spoke of Austria's interest in enhancing relations with the Southeast Asian region.

Vietnam stays ready to serve as a bridge to help Austria strengthen its ties with ASEAN, he said, suggesting that Austria could play a bridging role to help solidify Vietnam's relations with the EU.

Both leaders vowed to go ahead with close coordination at global and regional forums, particularly within the framework of ASEAN-EU cooperation, for the sake of peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

On the East Sea issue, they reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability, safety, security and freedom of navigation in the East Sea. They also voiced support for international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Vietnamese State leader used the occasion to invite the Austrian President and his wife to visit Vietnam soon, and the invitation was accepted with pleasure.

Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Vietnamese and Austrian foreign ministries.

The same day, the two State leaders co-hosted a joint press conference to announce the outcomes of their talks and agreed on orientations and measures to further boost and deepen the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries.

President Thuong stated that after more than five decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations (1972-2023), Vietnam and Austria have witnessed their traditional friendship and all-around cooperation growing steadily.

On politics and diplomacy, the two countries have regularly exchanged delegations at all levels, especially high-level ones, and closely cooperated and supported each other at regional and international forums. Austria always remains among the top 10 export markets of Vietnam in Europe, while Vietnam is an important trading partner of Austria in Southeast Asia.

The bilateral collaboration in other fields such as culture, education, and science-technology has also seen positive and effective development.

The Vietnamese State leader expressed confidence that his visit to Austria will create a new momentum, strengthe mutual understanding and trust, and provide a foundation for the strong development of the bilateral relations in the time ahead.

He stressed that both sides have reached a consensus on further boosting the ties across a multitude of areas, including politics, diplomacy, economy, investment, culture, sports, tourism, science-technology, and people-to-people exchanges.

The President affirmed that Vietnam has pursued an external policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, and multilateralisation. Vietnam wants to be a reliable friend and partner of all countries and a proactive and responsible member of the international community, he said.

He also outlined a common wish to resolve all conflicts in the region and the world based on the respect for the United Nations Charter and international law.

For his part, the Austrian President said that at the talks, the two sides discussed a host of issues to augment comprehensive cooperation in all areas. He underscored that Vietnam is an important trading partner of Austria in the Asian and ASEAN regions, as well as a large market and an attractive investment destination for Austrian businesses.

Currently, Austria has dozens of firms investing and operating in Vietnam with total capital of about 500 million EUR. However, there is still huge potential for broader cooperation in the coming period to achieve more practical results, the leader stressed.

He said Austria and Vietnam are also launching a wide range joint activities regarding dual training, preferential loans, and collaboration between the two foreign ministries as outlined in a freshly signed memorandum of understanding.

The Austrian President described Vietnam as an important partner of the European Union (EU). He noted that the signing and implementation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has remarkably contributed to promoting economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and the bloc in general, and between Vietnam and Austria in particular.

Vietnam and the EU have worked together in programmes and projects involving climate change response, environmental protection, and human rights dialogues.

Both sides have also collaborated effectively at various international forums, sharing common interests to bolster multilateral cooperation and to settle conflicts in accordance with international law.