Hiroshima (VNA)🍎 – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhon May 21 had separate meetings with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva andPresident of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, when he was attending the G7 expandedSummit in Hiroshima.

At the meeting between PM Chinh and the President ofBrazil, the two leaders said they were pleased to see the good progress of bilateralrelations over the past time, particularly since the two countries’ trademaintained a rapid growth momentum. For years, Brazil has been Vietnam'slargest trading partner in Latin America, with trade turnover in 2022 reachinga record 6.78 billion USD. Chinh conveyed greetings of Party General SecretaryNguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong, and National Assembly Chairman VuongDinh Hue to President Lula da Silva. He affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to and hopes tostrengthen the comprehensive partnership with Brazil, one of its leadingimportant partners in the region. Vietnam called on Brazil to support and promote the earlystart of negotiations for a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the SouthAmerican Common Market (MERCOSUR). The two countries are also hoped to continue tocoordinate and support each other at international organisations andmultilateral forums, especially at the United Nations, the World TradeOrganization (WTO), and other multilateral forums to which the two sides aremembers. Vietnam is willing to act as a bridge to strengthen the relationshipbetween ASEAN and Brazil, and between ASEAN and MERCOSUR. President Lula da Silva thanked the greetings ofVietnamese leaders and expressed admiration for the unyielding will of Vietnamand Vietnamese people. He also congratulated Vietnam on its achievements insocio-economic recovery and development. President Lula da Silva agreed with the proposals of PMChinh, especially on supporting the early start of negotiations for a free tradeagreement between Vietnam and MERCOSUR.  The President suggested the two countries continue topromote practical cooperation in all aspects, especially in trade, agriculture,people-to-people exchanges, and coordination at international organisations andmultilateral forums. On this occasion, PM Chinh conveyed the invitation ofVietnamese leaders to President Lula da Silva for a revisit to Vietnam. ThePresident of Brazil happily accepted the invitation. On the same day, at the G7 expanded Summit’s workingsession "Towards a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous World”, PM Chinhbriefly met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky. At the meeting, Chinh emphasised that Vietnam attachesimportance to the traditional friendship and cooperation between the twocountries. Regarding the current conflict in Ukraine, the PM affirmed thatVietnam's consistent stance is to respect the United Nations Charter andinternational law, especially the principles of respecting independence,sovereignty, territorial integrity, and sovereignty, non-interference ininternal affairs, no use of force and threats to use force, and all disputes should beresolved by peaceful means. As a country that has experienced many wars, Vietnamunderstands the value of peace, Chinh said.  Vietnam has provided humanitarian support to theUkrainian people and is ready to assist involved parties in finding a lastingpeaceful solution based on international laws and respecting the legitimateinterests of the parties. The Vietnamese leader expressed his gratitude to theGovernment of Ukraine for supporting the Vietnamese community in Ukraine. President Zelensky agreed with PM Chinh, expressing hisappreciation for Vietnam's stance and humanitarian support, and agreed to takemeasures to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries./.