State Secretary for Political Affairs Frano Matušić on Tuesday held the 5th political consultations with Le Thi Thu Hang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Matušić expressed satisfaction with the excellent development of bilateral relations, with both parties underscoring pleasure that political consultations are being held in the year when the two countries mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. They also discussed possible modalities for marking the anniversary, both in Croatia and Vietnam.
Additionally, discussions were held on existing cooperation and possibilities for further development of bilateral cooperation in various areas, with expressed interest in intensifying cooperation between the two parliaments. The two officials also discussed economic and trade cooperation, with Croatia presenting the potential of Croatian ports as entry points for exporting goods from Vietnam to European markets, the potential of the defence industry, cooperation in ICT, digitalization, infrastructure, shipbuilding, agro and food industry, as well as the transfer of Croatian knowledge in many other sectors. Special emphasis was placed on cooperation in the fields of tourism and sports, in which Croatia is successful on a global scale and for which Vietnam shows a strong interest in Croatian experiences. Talks also revolved around the proposal for the establishment of an intergovernmental committee for economic cooperation.
The strengthening of the partnership between the EU and Vietnam was underlined as extremely important, both bilaterally and within the framework of EU-ASEAN cooperation. Free trade was highlighted as an important element for market diversification and strengthening the resilience of economies and supply chains.
Matušić and Hang also discussed current geopolitical issues, especially the war in Ukraine and its negative consequences. Mutual support was expressed for the earliest possible cessation of hostilities as well as hope that a solution respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine would be found.
Multilateral cooperation was also discussed, and the two officials exchanged views on global and regional issues, including the situation in the respective regions of Asia and Europe, as well as the situation in Southeast Europe.
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