THE PRIME MINISTER PROPOSES TO EARLY PROMOTE THE NEGOTIATION OF FTA BETWEEN VIETNAM AND SOUTH AMERICA'S COMMON MARKET

On the afternoon of May 21, in Hiroshima, Japan, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with Brazilian President Lula Da Silva...

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Brazilian President Lula Da Silva

At the meeting, the two leaders were pleased to see the good progress of bilateral relations over the past time, in which bilateral trade has maintained rapid growth momentum, and Brazil has been a trading partner for many years. Vietnam's largest trade in Latin America with trade turnover in 2022 reaching a record of 6.78 billion USD.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conveyed the greetings of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to President Da Silva. The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam values and wishes to strengthen the Comprehensive Partnership with Brazil, one of Vietnam's leading partners in the region.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conveyed the greetings of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to President Da Silva - Photo: VGP

On the basis of the good relationship between the two countries, the Prime Minister asked Brazil to support and promote the early start of negotiations for the 9FTA Free Trade Agreement) between Vietnam and the South American Common Market (MERCOSUR); continue to coordinate and support each other at international organizations and multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations, WTO and other multilateral forums to which the two sides are members.

Vietnam is ready to act as a bridge to strengthen the relationship between ASEAN and Brazil as a partnership by sector, between ASEAN and the MERCOSUR bloc.

President Da Silva thanked the greetings of senior Vietnamese leaders, expressed admiration and admiration for the unyielding will of the country and Vietnamese people, and congratulated Vietnam on its achievements in economic recovery and development in  socio-economic.

Regarding the direction of the coming time, President Silva agreed with the ideas and proposals of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, especially in favor of the early start of negotiations for a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Mercosur bloc; invited Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to visit Brazil.

The Brazilian President suggested the two countries continue to promote practical cooperation in all aspects, especially cooperation in trade, agriculture, people-to-people exchanges, coordination at international organizations and multilateral forums.

The meeting scene

On this occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conveyed the invitation of senior Vietnamese leaders looking forward to welcoming President Lula Da Silva back to Vietnam soon. President Silva happily accepted the invitation and looked forward to returning to Vietnam soon.