Qatar-Vietnam relationship flourishing

Qatar and Vietnam issued a joint statement on Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Doha. The following are excerpts from the text of the statement:Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of Vietnam, paid the first official visit to Qatar in 5 years from Oct 30 to Nov 1.Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh paid a courtesy call on the Amir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, held an official talks session with Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani and called on the Shura Council Speaker HE Hassan bin Abdulla al-Ghanim, and met with the Minister of Communications and Information Technology; the Minister of Labour; the Minister of State for Energy Affairs; Chairman of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA); and Chairman of Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA).The two sides noted with satisfaction the achievements of their 30-year bilateral relationship that has been flourishing and expanding across multiple fields. The two sides pledged to promoting the exchange of delegations and contacts at all levels and through various channels, and strengthen people-to-people ties, to further advance the excellent co-operation between Vietnam and Qatar.With a shared vision to further deepen the political trust and elevate Qatar-Vietnam relationships to a more profound and advanced level, the two sides agreed to work towards upgrading bilateral relations to a more involved, concrete and effective partnership.The two sides consider negotiating bilateral agreements on the areas of, among others, visa exemption, labour, economic and trade to expand their market access. They emphasised the importance of economic, trade, and investment co-operation and recognised the significant potential for collaboration in other sectors such as energy, oil and gas, especially liquefied natural gas (LNG), agriculture, Halal industry, banking, etc.The two sides agreed to strengthen trade and investment activities, with an aim to attract more investment from Qatari funds to strategic investment projects in Vietnam enhance business connections, and support investors from both sides. They pledged to enhance defence and security co-operation and maintain an environment of co-operation and peace in the two regions and the world.The two sides recognised the importance of promoting education and training, tourism, and cultural and sports exchange to strengthen people-to-people connections and deepen mutual understanding. Both sides agreed to increase scholarships for each others students. In addition, both sides agreed to explore co-operation opportunities in emerging sectors, such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, clean energy, solar energy, digital transformation, innovative governance, green and circular economy, among others.During the visit, the two sides signed a number of bilateral agreements and MoUs to enhance co-operation in various fields. The two sides exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual interest and underscored the importance of upholding international law and the UN Charter, advocating the resolution of disputes by diplomatic means to maintain peace, stability, and security and promote development at regional and global levels.