Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng visited Kazakhstan from March 2 to 3 for political consultations at the invitation of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The consultation took place on March 3, co-chaired by Hằng and her Kazakh counterpart Alibek Bakayev, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.
Both officials expressed satisfaction with the positive momentum in the countries’ traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation, particularly following Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to Việt Nam in August 2023.
The two sides stressed the need to further enhance regular exchanges and interactions across Party, State, and parliamentary channels to increase political trust and mutual understanding, laying the foundation for stronger and more sustainable cooperation in various sectors. They agreed to coordinate closely to ensure the successful organisation of upcoming high-level visits between the countries.
While acknowledging the positive growth in bilateral trade in recent years, the officials noted that the current trade volume remains modest compared to its full potential, given that Vietnamese and Kazakh goods do not directly compete but rather complement each other.
Both sides agreed to maximise the benefits of the free trade agreement between Việt Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), of which Kazakhstan is a member, and to utilise multimodal transport corridors and routes to boost two-way trade.
The officials highlighted the visa exemption agreement, which was signed in August 2023 and took effect in May 2024, as a key facilitator for expanding bilateral cooperation in tourism, people-to-people exchange, and locality-to-locality cooperation. The number of Kazakh tourists to Việt Nam reached 150,000 last year.
The deputy foreign ministers also recognised vast opportunities for bilateral cooperation in science-technology, transport-logistics, education-training, and culture, serving their development needs in the 4th Industrial Revolution.
In terms of their ministries' cooperation, the officials agreed to maintain regular political consultations and high-level interactions to enhance their coordination role in promoting the ties between Việt Nam and Kazakhstan as well as their government agencies and localities.
Hằng and her Kazakh counterpart also exchanged views on global and regional developments, highlighting the two countries' commitment to an open, balanced, diversified and multilateral foreign policy.
Both sides welcomed the close coordination at international organisations and multilateral forums, including the United Nations (UN), to enhance their roles and contributions towards peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world. They agreed to continue supporting each other’s participation in multilateral institutions, particularly within the UN framework.
Bakayev expressed Kazakhstan’s desire to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN and sought Việt Nam’s support in this regard.
In return, Kazakhstan affirmed its readiness to serve as a bridge for Việt Nam’s engagement with Central Asian nations.
Hằng reiterated Việt Nam’s commitment to fostering ASEAN-Kazakhstan relations and promoting cooperation between ASEAN and regional organisations in which Kazakhstan holds membership, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
The Vietnamese diplomat expressed her hope that Kazakhstan will actively support ASEAN's and Việt Nam’s position on maintaining peace, stability, security, and freedom of navigation and trade in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea).
She emphasised the importance of resolving disputes through peaceful means and in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The Deputy Minister thanked the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its support for the Vietnamese community in Kazakhstan and urged the latter to continue providing favourable conditions for Vietnamese citizens residing and working in the country.
On this occasion, Hằng met with A. Kuspan, Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Security and head of the Kazakhstan-Việt Nam Parliamentary Friendship Group at the Kazakh Lower House, along with representatives of Kazakh political parties.
A. Kuspan reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s interest in Việt Nam’s socio-economic achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of Việt Nam over nearly four decades of reform.
She noted that Hằng’s visit for this round of political consultations demonstrated Việt Nam’s high regard for bilateral relations, particularly diplomatic ties.
She welcomed upcoming high-level delegation exchanges and affirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation and ensuring thorough preparations for future visits.
Hằng thanked A. Kuspan for the reception and pledged to work closely with the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies to advance bilateral relations. She emphasised the commitment to implementing the agreements reached by high-level leaders for the benefit of both nations and for regional and global peace, cooperation, and development.
Earlier, on the afternoon of March 2, the Vietnamese deputy foreign minister held a working session with the Vietnamese embassy in Kazakhstan.
