New York (VNA) – President Nguyen XuanPhuc met with foreign leaders and visited Pfizer Inc. as part of his working tripto New York on September 23 (local time).

On September 23 morning, the Vietnamese State leaderhad working sessions with representatives from countries that are permanentmembers of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Meeting with the Chinese delegation, Phuc said astable and healthy relationship between Vietnam and China is an importantfactor to the development of each country, and contributes to peace,cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.

As neighbours, Vietnam and China should tightentheir cooperation to ensure water resources security, cope with climate changeand promote green development, he suggested.

Meeting with Russian representatives, Phuc emphasisedthat Russia is a leading important partner of Vietnam, adding that he had affirmedthis fact during his online talks with President Vladimir Putin last week.

He said leaders of the two countries will soon hold in-personmeetings to enhance the bilateral strategic partnership.

At a meeting with US Secretary of State AntonyBlinken, Phuc extended his thanks to the US – one of the biggest donors ofCOVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX Facility. Through the mechanism, Vietnam hasreceived 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the US so far.

Blinken reaffirmed President Joe Biden’s latestcommitment to donating 500 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses to othercountries at the Global COVID-19 Summit which President Phuc attended onSeptember 22.

Phuc said Vietnam always considers the US a leadingimportant partner, with economic, trade and investment cooperation the mainpillar of the bilateral relations.

In that spirit, he suggested the two countriescontinue with the exchange of high-level delegations, create more favourableconditions for major US groups, especially high-tech ones, to increase their presencein Vietnam, while ensuring stable development of trade towards a balanced tradeties.

The same day, Phuc talked over the phone with SenatorPatrick Leahy, who is President pro tempore of the Senate of the US.

He lauded Leahy and the US Congress for theirefforts in urging the US administration to help Vietnam with vaccines andmedical supplies, and suggested the Senator further promote cooperation betweenthe two countries in this regard.

Phuc also thanked the Senator for his contributionsto the settlement of war consequences, notably the projects on dioxinremediation at Da Nang and Bien Hoa airports, and invited him to visit Vietnamwhen possible.

For his part, Leahy pledged that he will continue tosupport Vietnam in the settlement of war consequences, including assistance towar and Agent Orange/dioxin victims.

He also stressed the US’s commitments to regionaland global issues like climate change, COVID-19 and maritime security, sayingthe US will further cooperate and support countries, including Vietnam, to dealwith these challenges.

On September 22,the President had a meeting with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who is the UNSecretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development(UNSGSA), during which he thanked the Queen for her support for Vietnam,particularly in promoting inclusive finance.

They also sharedtheir delight at the strong growth of the Vietnam-Netherlands relations overyears. The Netherlands is now Vietnam’s second largest trade partner and biggestinvestor in the EU.

They agreed thatboth sides need to maintain high-level meetings and exchanges betweenministries and local administrations so as to better tap the two countries’potential and to remain as each other’s top partner in Southeast Asia and theEU.

Phuc highlyappreciated the Netherlands’ active contribution to the COVID-19vaccine-sharing COVAX Facility as well as its donation of medical supplies toVietnam.

Meeting with hiscounterpart from Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, the Vietnamese leadersuggested the two countries increase bilateral meetings and exchanges both inperson and via video teleconference.

Each side shouldnominate an honorary consul who will act as a bridge to beef up multi-facetedties between the two nations since they are yet to open an embassy in eachother’s capital city, Phuc proposed, adding that the two countries shouldprovide a legal framework for bolstering bilateral cooperation by earlyconcluding talks on and signing of several agreements regarding investmentprotection and facilitation, and avoidance of double taxation.

President Phucfurther said that Vietnam stands ready to share experience and step upcooperation with Sierra Leone in agriculture as proposed by President JuliusMaada Bio.

In the meetingwith Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, President Phuc highly spoke ofthe development of the two countries’ long-standing and multifacetedpartnership, saying he wants the bilateral relations to thrive further in thecoming time.

Both leadersfelt pleased to see the growing trade between Vietnam and Bangladesh despiteimpacts of COVID-19 and agreed the two sides should maintain their existingcooperation mechanisms, such as the Vietnam-Bangladesh Joint Commission andtheir Joint Committee on Trade, to soon lift the two-way trade to 2 billionUSD.

Vietnam wants toinvest in Bangladesh in the fields of agriculture and fisheries, industry andhandicraft, culture, education and training, tourism, and textile and garment,the Vietnamese president said, asking the Bangladeshi side to provideVietnamese investors with broader access to these areas.

At a meeting with Managing Director of theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva, the VietnamesePresident spoke highly of the IMF’s cooperation with Vietnam in socio-economicdevelopment and international integration.

He also thanked the fund for joining hands withVietnam in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.  

President Phuc appreciated that the IMF hascollaborated with the World Bank, the World Health Organisation and the WorldTrade Organisation to set up a special task force on COVID-19 vaccines, in aneffort to promote the delivery of vaccine and medical equipment for developingcountries.

He voiced a hope that the IMF will support Vietnamin vaccine access and continue to stand side by side with the country in itsdevelopment towards the goal to become a developing nation with modern industryand upper-middle income by 2030; and a developed nation with high income by2045, as targeted in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress.

For her part, the IMF Managing Directorcongratulated Vietnam over its economic achievements in the recent past andhighly valued policies by the Vietnamese Government in stabilising the macro-economyand renewing growth models.

She affirmedthat the IMF will help Vietnam surmount the difficulties triggered by theongoing pandemic and support the country’s development./.