Prague (VNA) – Vietnam always highly values and wishes to strengthen relations with traditional friends in the Central and Eastern Europe, with the Czech Republic being one of its top priority partners, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

At a meeting with President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel in Prague on January 20 (local time), PM Chinh stressed that the Vietnamese people always deeply cherish and remember the selfless, sincere, and heartfelt support extended by the Czech people during Vietnam's past struggle for independence and national unification, as well as its ongoing socio-economic development.

The Vietnamese PM informed the host about the outcomes of his talks with Czech PM Petr Fiala, saying that both sides had been delighted at the elevation of ties to a strategic partnership, a milestone they described as historic.

Pavel, in turn, welcomed Chinh’s official visit which was concurrent with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, describing it as a major milestone in developing bilateral ties.

Speaking highly of Vietnam’s role and standing in Asia-Pacific, he affirmed that no Asian country has such as close relationship with the Czech Republic as Vietnam, expressing a strong desire for stronger collaboration with the Southeast Asian nation across diverse areas.

On orientations and measures to deepen and improve the effectiveness of bilateral ties, the two leaders agreed to continue facilitating the exchange of delegations at all levels, particularly those at the high level, to foster political trust and mutual understanding in line with the strategic partnership.

Discussions between the leaders focused on leveraging the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to boost bilateral trade to 5 billion USD in the near future. Emphasis was also placed on opening markets, encouraging Czech investments in Vietnam, particularly in digital transformation, pharmaceuticals, food industry, manufacturing and processing, and mining.

They pledged to step up cooperation in national defence-security, sci-tech, innovation, education-training, culture-sports, music, arts, and people-to-people exchange.

The host President welcomed Vietnam’s unilateral visa exemption for Czech citizens in 2025 and anticipated the early launch of a direct flight route between Hanoi and Prague.

He promised to push forward the swift ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by the remaining European countries and the removal of the European Commission’s yellow card warning on Vietnam’s seafood exports.

The two Governments should promptly develop an action plan to translate the newly established strategic partnership into concrete actions, he said.

He also gave high praise to the 100,000-strong Vietnamese community, recognising their hard work, education, and proficiency in the Czech language. As the third-largest minority group in the country, they have been instrumental in its socio-economic development and friendship between the two nations.

In response to President Pavel’s interest in learning about Vietnam’s human rights policies, PM Chinh explained that human rights are clearly defined in Vietnam’s Constitution and laws, emphasising the right to liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness.

Vietnam always places a high priority on social welfare and has excelled in this area, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, he said.

Pavel thanked Chinh's insights, which provided the Czech Republic with a clearer understanding of the Vietnamese Party and State's sound policies on these issues.

On multilateral cooperation, host and guest agreed that the two countries would continue to work closely and support each other at multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations and ASEAN-EU cooperation framework, contributing to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

Turning to Russia-Ukraine conflict, the PM underscored Vietnam's consistent stance that all disputes and conflicts should be resolved through peaceful means, without the use of force or threat of force, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law.

Having endured much suffering and loss due to war, Vietnam deeply understands the situation and stays ready to engage in efforts to find a sustainable peaceful solution to the conflict with the involvement of all relevant parties, he added./.