Prague (VNA) -ܫ Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his wife Le Thi Bich Tran and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam met with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic on January 18 evening (local time) within the framework of their official visit to the European nation.

At the meeting, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Duong Hoai Nam reported that in recent times, the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and the Czech Republic have developed positively. The Czech Republic currently considers Vietnam a priority partner and a gateway to the Asia-Pacific region. Bilateral trade has increased very quickly, doubling after five years, reaching 2.9 billion USD in 2023 and 3.8 billion USD in 2024, of which Vietnam exported 3.3 billion USD worth of products to the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is the first country in the EU to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). Education is a very potential field of cooperation, he said, more and more Vietnamese students are coming to study in the Czech Republic with European educational standards but the university study period is only three years and the cost is affordable. The two sides also have great opportunities to promote cooperation in tourism, culture, and labour, especially the Vietnamese Government's decision to exempt visas for Czech citizens entering the Southeast Asian country in groups for tourism purposes regardless of passport types will be a big boost. The Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic currently has about 100,000 people, the 3rd largest ethnic minority community in the Czech Republic and also the 3rd largest Vietnamese community in Europe, the diplomat noted. Hoang Dinh Thang, member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Chairman of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Europe, said that the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic is considered to be industrious and hard-working, actively contributing to the development of the host country and bilateral relations, being one of the Vietnamese communities in the world with a very unified and regulated organisation. Thang and people attending the meeting raised a number of recommendations and suggestions related to participating and organising the Great National Solidarity Festival abroad; regaining Vietnamese citizenship; and opening the direct flight route between Prague and Hanoi. PM Chinh expressed his joy at the continuous growth and maturity of the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, affirming its position and role in the host country, proving the capacity and intelligence of Vietnamese people, living and working according to the law. Many people have become rich and the Vietnamese intellectual contingent has also developed. In particular, the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic is the first Vietnamese community in the world to be recognised by countries as a minority group, he said, this is thanks to the efforts of the political system under the leadership of the Party, diplomatic representative agencies and the community. The PM said that this visit aims to raise relations between the two countries to a new level and kick off the year celebrating the 75th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries (1950-2025); and promote cooperation in the fields of politics - diplomacy, trade, investment, culture, education, defense, security, and people-to-people exchanges. He emphasised that the world has changed a lot, but the relationship between Vietnam and the Czech Republic has not been affected, and long-standing traditions are increasingly consolidated and strengthened. It is expected that during the visit, the PM will ask authorities at all levels of the Czech Republic to continue creating more favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live, study, work, and further integrate into the host society, maximise their abilities, and contribute to the development of the Czech Republic and the friendship relations between the two countries. PM Chinh affirmed that the Party and State always care about and identify the Vietnamese community abroad as an integral part of the great national unity bloc. Institutionalizing the Party's guidelines, Vietnam has been and are continuing to amend, supplement and perfect laws and regulations related to nationality, identification, land and housing to ensure legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese people abroad. In the new context, the leader said that it is necessary to change the way of doing things to maximise the potential, development space, different potential, outstanding opportunities, and competitive advantages in the relationship between the two countries. Along with promoting the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), it is a must to accelerate the ratification of the EU – Vietnam Investment Promotion Agreement (EVIPA), have appropriate visa policies, labour policies and nationality regulations, and promote transport connectivity. Responding to participants' suggestions and recommendations, PM Chinh said that the Government will report and propose to competent authorities to amend and supplement the Law on Vietnamese Nationality; discuss with the Vietnam Fatherland Front on recommendations related to organising the Great National Solidarity Festival; and direct agencies and units to promote aviation connections between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, including studying forms of connecting flights. He requested the embassy to closely follow and firmly grasp the correct and timely situation to advise the Party and State, propose clear people, clear tasks, clear time, clear responsibilities, and clear product; thus contributing to promoting the relationship between the two countries, which has a 75-year tradition with core values that are increasingly developing well./.