HCMC – EU Ambassador to Vietnam Julien Guerrier said at a meeting with Party General Secretary To Lam that Vietnam is a trusted and priority partner of the EU in the Asia-Pacific region.

 Party General Secretary To Lam met with Julien Guerrier, Ambassador of the EU to Vietnam yesterday, April 24, at the headquarters of the Party Central Committee, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Vietnamese leader expressed his confidence that, with the efforts of both sides, Vietnam-EU relations will continue to be strengthened. He affirmed that the EU is one of Vietnam’s most important partners in its foreign policy.

After five years of implementation, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has given new momentum to bilateral trade, making Vietnam the EU’s largest trading partner in ASEAN, while the EU is now Vietnam’s fourth largest trading partner and sixth largest investor.

Ambassador Guerrier congratulated Vietnam on its development achievements over the 50 years since national reunification, affirming that Vietnam is a trusted and priority partner of the EU in the Asia-Pacific region.

He also highly valued Vietnam’s growing role and position, especially as the country enters a new era.

Discussing measures to promote bilateral relations, Party General Secretary To Lam emphasized that Vietnam pursues a policy of diversification and multilateralization, seeking equal and mutually beneficial cooperation with all partners.

Amid growing challenges in the global geopolitical and trade landscape, the two sides need to strengthen cooperation, build greater political trust, and intensify thorough exchanges to reach a consensus on an early roadmap for elevating their relationship to a new, more substantive and mutually beneficial level. Both sides should also continue to effectively implement the EVFTA.

The Party General Secretary called for the EU to cooperate with Vietnam in areas such as green transition, digital transformation, sustainable development, and science and technology.

He proposed that both sides work together to address outstanding trade issues under the EVFTA and consider facilitating visa procedures for each other’s citizens.

Party General Secretary To Lam and Ambassador Guerrier also agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation within the ASEAN-EU framework and to ensure peace and stability in the East Sea, a region of strategic importance to global trade.