The prime minister’s trip was made at the invitation of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
The working trip takes place amid a global and regional context marked by ongoing transformative upheavals, shifting the global landscape towards a multipolar, multi-centric, and multi-layered direction.
The world political and economic situation is forecasted to remain unpredictable and fraught with risks.
Additionally, challenges such as natural disasters, food security, and pandemics continue to threaten global sustainable development, while development resources remain insufficient, making it increasingly difficult to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Oceans face numerous threats including climate change, acidification, plastic pollution, and overfishing.
Meanwhile, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), widely recognised as the legal framework governing maritime and ocean activities, is also confronted with challenges that may jeopardise its integrity.
In this context, UNOC has gained particular attention, aiming to implement Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) under the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas, and marine resources.
Under the theme ‘Accelerating action and mobilising all stakeholders to conserve and sustainably use the ocean’ and co-chaired by France and Costa Rica, UNOC 3 is expected to discuss critical issues, promote cooperation to address challenges, and enhance ocean governance.
As a special guest of the French president, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend UNOC 3 and is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the plenary session, affirming Viet Nam’s readiness to be a reliable partner in various frameworks and cooperative models, sharing knowledge and experience, and contributing to the collective effort to achieve SDG 14.
This also served as an opportunity for Viet Nam to reaffirm its commitments to sustainable development, especially as it pursues sustainable marine economic development based on green growth, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem balance, and maximising the potential and advantages of the sea.
This marks the first time a Vietnamese prime minister has attended UNOC as well as Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s first visit to France since the two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in October 2024.
It is also an important milestone in Viet Nam’s cooperative relations with Estonia and Sweden.
Since diplomatic relations were established in 1973, Viet Nam-France ties have continued to develop well and achieved significant milestones. The two countries regularly exchange delegations at all levels, especially at the highest levels.
France is currently Viet Nam’s fourth largest trading partner and the second largest investor within the European Union (EU), as well as the largest bilateral ODA donor. Cooperation between the two countries is vibrant across many fields.
Viet Nam and Estonia share a longstanding friendship. The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1992.
Estonia has repeatedly affirmed Viet Nam as a priority partner in Southeast Asia. Bilateral trade turnover between Viet Nam and Estonia exceeded 70 million USD in 2024. Estonia invests in Viet Nam in sectors such as information technology, communications, science, technology, and healthcare.
The two countries have considerable potential to boost cooperation in areas including information technology, communications, e-government, artificial intelligence, fintech, digital economy, cybersecurity, and logistics.
As one of the first Western countries to recognise and establish diplomatic relations with Viet Nam in 1969, Sweden actively supported Viet Nam’s struggle for independence, reunification, and national development.
Viet Nam-Sweden relations continue to progress in a positive manner, with frequent exchanges of delegations at various levels. Bilateral trade turnover reached nearly 1.5 billion USD in 2024.
Sweden ranks 29th among 149 countries and territories investing in Viet Nam, with total registered capital of approximately 743 million USD.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to France was made following French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Viet Nam in May.
This is the first visit to Estonia by a Vietnamese PM since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. It is also the first visit to Sweden by a Vietnamese Government leader in the past seven years.
The working trip reaffirms Viet Nam’s continued implementation of its foreign policy regarding independence, self-reliance, and the diversification and multilateralisation of international relations.
The prime minister’s attendance at the UN Ocean Conference aims to carry out Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW on the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Viet Nam's Marine Economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045; demonstrating that Viet Nam is an active and responsible member of the international community.
At the same time, the trip affirms Viet Nam's consistent policy of attaching importance to and its wish to strengthen and promote relations with European countries and expand cooperation in new fields.
