Vietnam – Slovakia: Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership
The Prime Minister of Vietnam, Le Minh Hung (right), and his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, on April 13 in Hanoi.
Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1950, Vietnam and Slovakia have built and developed a traditional friendship and fruitful multifaceted cooperation, based on trust, equality, and mutual respect, for the benefit of the people of both countries.
Recognizing the growing geopolitical, economic, and technological importance of the Indo-Pacific region, both parties have reaffirmed the need to strengthen their partnership to promote regional connectivity, open international trade, and a world order based on law.
Building on 75 years of bilateral relations, the two Prime Ministers of Vietnam and Slovakia have agreed to adopt a Joint Declaration to elevate Vietnam-Slovakia relations to the level of a strategic partnership. This framework aims to enhance bilateral relations, reinforce existing cooperation mechanisms, and explore new ways to deepen cooperation between the two countries bilaterally and multilaterally.
In this new framework, Vietnam and Slovakia will continue to deepen their cooperation in areas of common interest to bring tangible benefits to their populations and contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperity in the region and globally.
In terms of politics and diplomacy, both parties affirm the crucial role of high-level visits in strengthening traditional friendship and opening new avenues for effective and concrete collaboration for the interests of both peoples, peace, stability, and regional development. They have agreed to intensify exchanges of delegations and political dialogues at all levels, particularly at the highest level, while exploring the establishment of new cooperation mechanisms between ministries, sectors, and localities of both countries.
The two parties have agreed to strengthen their contacts through appropriate channels between the competent bodies of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the government, the National Assembly, and the Vietnamese localities, as well as with the relevant Slovak organs and organizations to promote political, socio-economic, and foreign policy cooperation and mutual understanding. They affirm that the mechanism of regular political consultations between the two foreign ministries is a key framework for reviewing cooperation and updating bilateral, regional, and international issues.
They have expressed their willingness to further enhance relations between their respective legislative bodies through exchanges of delegations and bilateral and multilateral contacts, particularly between leaders, specialized commissions, and friendship parliamentary groups, in line with the framework of the new bilateral partnership.
The cooperation in economic and trade sectors is considered an important pillar of bilateral relations. Based on existing bilateral and multilateral economic agreements and the complementarity of their respective economies, the two countries are committed to deepening cooperation in these areas, while ensuring an open, fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory trade environment in their respective markets.
The two parties have agreed to explore more efficient and mutually beneficial cooperation in labor mobility, in line with national legislation and labor market needs.
They have agreed to promote cooperation in agriculture, agricultural processing, and water management to facilitate commercial exchanges, strengthen their cooperation towards achieving carbon neutrality, including through the exchange of experiences in emissions reduction, carbon pricing, and policy instruments. They also intend to cooperate in diversifying sources of sustainable energy (nuclear, solar, hydraulic, geothermal, wind) to enhance energy security and support green transition by encouraging the participation of public, academic, and private institutions. They will also intensify their cooperation in the circular economy, waste management, and green technologies.
They have agreed to promote cooperation in human resource development in the health sector and have expressed their willingness to develop cooperation in balneology, particularly with regard to the protection and use of natural resources for therapeutic purposes, expert exchanges, and adaptation and physical medicine.
The two parties have exchanged views on the possibility of concluding a memorandum of understanding on legal and judicial cooperation between the Justice Ministries of Vietnam and Slovakia, replacing the one signed in 2014, in line with the priorities of both countries in the new context.
They have agreed to strengthen cooperation between local authorities and promote exchanges between peoples as pillars of the social foundation of bilateral relations.
Based on this Joint Declaration, the Foreign Ministries of both countries will coordinate with relevant bodies to develop a joint action plan for its implementation.
VNA/CVN
