Panama considers Vietnam a top priority partner in the Asia-Pacific region.

At the invitation of General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife, President of the Republic of Panama José Raúl Mulino Quintero, his wife, and a high-level delegation from the Panamanian government paid an official visit to Vietnam from October 5-8.

On the afternoon of October 6th, at the National Assembly building, General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife presided over the solemn official welcoming ceremony for the President of Panama and his wife. Immediately after the ceremony, the two leaders held talks.

Vietnam has always valued its traditional friendship with Panama.

During the talks, held in a sincere, open, and mutually trusting atmosphere, General Secretary and President To Lam warmly welcomed President José Raúl Mulino Quintero of Panama on his official visit to Vietnam.

He emphasized the significant importance of the first head-of-state visit between the two countries in 14 years, following the upcoming celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations in 2025.

The General Secretary and President provided information on Vietnam's recent socio -economic and foreign affairs situation and future development orientations; emphasizing that Vietnam always values ​​its traditional friendship with Panama, as well as Panama's strategic role and position in the region and the world.

With its dynamic economy, possession of the Panama Canal, and its status as a regional hub for maritime, air, logistics, and financial connections, Panama can, along with Vietnam, play a crucial role as a trade and logistics gateway between Southeast Asia and Latin America.

General Secretary and President To Lam expressed his confidence that the two countries will continue to effectively exploit the potential for cooperation in the fields of trade, agriculture, maritime affairs, aviation, logistics, and digital transformation , promoting the development of bilateral relations in a direction that is increasingly substantive, effective, and sustainable, for the benefit of the people of both countries, and contributing to peace, cooperation, and development in both regions.

The President of Panama expressed gratitude to Vietnam for being the first country to sign the Protocol on the Permanent Neutrality of the Panama Canal (1979), and congratulated the State and People of Vietnam on the great achievements made in more than 40 years of Doi Moi (Renovation).

General Secretary and President To Lam held talks with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino. Photo: VNA.

The President affirmed that Panama considers Vietnam a top priority partner in the Asia-Pacific region and is ready to act as a gateway to connect Vietnam with the economies of the Latin American region.

The two leaders expressed pleasure at the positive developments in bilateral relations in recent times, emphasizing that there is still great potential for cooperation and mutual complementarity between the two countries, especially in the areas of economy, trade, and investment.

On this occasion, the two sides had extensive discussions on strategic directions to further deepen and strengthen bilateral relations.

The two leaders agreed to strengthen exchanges of high-level and other delegations through Party, State, Parliament, and people-to-people channels; enhance diplomatic and consular presence in each country; and regularly and effectively implement bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, including political consultations and the Joint Committee on economy, trade, and investment.

Vietnam and Panama have signed numerous cooperation documents, expanding relations in many fields.

Both sides also expressed their readiness to support each other in strengthening relations with the organizations of which each side is a member, especially ASEAN and CELAC.

Both sides agreed to expand cooperation in the fields of agriculture, telecommunications, infrastructure, transportation, port logistics, banking, tourism, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

Both sides agreed to strengthen the exchange of experience and cooperation in developing sustainable agriculture, including opening up markets for agricultural products from both countries to access each other's markets.

President of the Republic of Panama José Raúl Mulino and members of the Panamanian delegation at talks with General Secretary and President Tô Lâm. Photo: VNA.

Both sides agreed to promote cooperation and connectivity between localities of the two countries, including Ho Chi Minh City and Panama City, to exchange experiences and support each other in building a financial center connected with seaports, logistics, and bonded warehouses.

The two leaders also shared the need to strengthen cooperation in the fields of security and law enforcement, and combating transnational crime, thereby creating a solid foundation for expanding bilateral cooperation and exchanges in many areas.

Regarding multilateral cooperation, both sides agreed to continue coordinating and supporting each other in international organizations and multilateral forums; exchange views on regional and international issues of common concern; uphold the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter; support the maintenance of freedom and safety of navigation and aviation and the peaceful resolution of disputes on the basis of respect for international law, especially the United Nations Charter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

On this occasion, the President of Panama respectfully invited General Secretary and President To Lam to make a Head of State visit to Panama, marking a new historical milestone for the relations between the two countries.

General Secretary and President To Lam and members of the Vietnamese delegation at talks with President of the Republic of Panama José Raúl Mulino. Photo: VNA.

The General Secretary and President expressed his gratitude and desire to visit the beautiful country of Panama; he suggested that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries exchange information and make arrangements at a suitable time.

Immediately following the talks, General Secretary and President To Lam and President of Panama José Raúl Mulino witnessed the signing ceremony of bilateral cooperation documents, including: the Agreement on Cooperation in Maritime Transport; the Agreement on Cooperation in Combating Transnational Crime; the Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Cooperation; the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between Customs Agencies; the Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation; the Memorandum of Understanding between the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and the Civil Aviation Authority of Panama; the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the two Diplomatic Academies; the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Vietnam Maritime University and the International Maritime University of Panama; and the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VASS) and the Institute for Agricultural Innovation of Panama (IDIAP).

The two leaders then held a joint meeting with the press from both countries and internationally.

Earlier that day, a high-level delegation from the Government of Panama, led by the President of Panama and his wife, laid wreaths at the Monument to the Martyrs and Heroes and the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh, and met with leaders of Vietnamese businesses in the maritime transport sector.

Later that evening, General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife hosted a grand reception to welcome President José Raúl Mulino of the Republic of Panama and his wife, along with the high-level delegation from the Panamanian government.

Source: https://thanhtra.com.vn/doi-ngoai-97D2D2A31/panama-coi-viet-nam-la-doi-tac-uu-tien-hang-dau-tai-khu-vuc-chau-a-thai-binh-duong-98015b601.html