At the event, the Malaysian official lauded Vietnam’s success in COVID-19 prevention and control, socio-economic development, and external relations, particularly in its positions as Chair of ASEAN in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.
Stressing that Vietnam is the only strategic partner of Malaysia in Southeast Asia, he affirmed that Malaysia always attaches importance to and wants to foster its cooperation with Vietnam so that the relations will be more extensive and effective.
For his part, Assistant to the Foreign Minister Hieu expressed his belief that Malaysia will soon overcome the pandemic and recover its economy.
Taking the occasion to thank the Malaysian side for facilitating flights to repatriate Vietnamese citizens in the past time, the diplomat requested that Malaysia continue to support Vietnamese businesses and citizens living in the country as well as give humanitarian treatment to Vietnamese fishermen detained in Malaysian waters.
He stated Vietnam will continue creating favourable conditions for Malaysian investors, experts, managers, and skilled workers to enter Vietnam in line with health and pandemic control requirements.
The officials noted the robust growth of the Vietnam – Malaysia strategic partnership over the past years, and discussed specific collaboration orientations across fields to implement outcomes of a meeting between the two countries’ Prime Ministers on the sidelines of the recent ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting in Indonesia.
The two sides pledged to work closely to hold high-level and all-level delegation exchanges when conditions allow and to soon implement bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as joint committee and joint trade committee.
The officials noted they will also speed up the building of an action programme on implementing the nations’ strategic partnership for 2021 – 2025 so that the document can be approved by the 6th meeting of the countries’ joint committee for cooperating in economy and science-technology. The meeting is scheduled to take place in the last half of this year.
The sides also discussed regional and international matters of common concern and vowed to continue with mutual support and collaboration at multilateral organisations and forums, including ASEAN and the UN.
Regarding the East Sea issue, they emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, and maritime and aviation safety in the waters; resolving disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); and facilitating the negotiation on a practical and effective Code of Conduct in the waters (COC).
