Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (L) receives Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Hanoi on May 16, 2022.

The Vietnamese Party leader congratulated Sakellaropoulou on becoming the first female president of Greece, and thanked the Greek people for their valuable support for Vietnam’s struggle for independence in the past as well as the current national construction, especially in COVID-19 prevention and control.

He highly valued the outcomes of the Greek leader’s visit, especially the results of the talks between President Sakellaropoulou and her Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc. He expressed his belief that the visit is a milestone in the development of bilateral ties.

The Party leader affirmed that Vietnam attaches much importance to its traditional friendship with Greece and is delighted at the important progress in bilateral ties. He gave a number of proposals to promote the partnership in all fields, and suggested Greece continue to support the Vietnamese community in the country.

He briefed the guest on major achievements and development goals of Vietnam towards the middle of the 21st century, as well as Vietnam’s success in controlling COVID-19, ensuring social welfare, speeding up post-pandemic recovery and development. He also stressed the country’s external policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralisation and diversification of relations.

For her part, President Sakellaropoulou expressed her strong impression at the history and culture of Vietnam, highlighting the similarities between the two nations, and affirming that Greece highly values the position of Vietnam in the region and the world. She briefed her host on the important outcomes of her talks with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, notably measures to expand cooperation between the two countries.

She agreed with the Vietnamese Party leader’s proposals on orientations for the future development of bilateral ties, and showed pleasure at the growth of the cooperation between the two countries. She also underlined the potential of bilateral collaboration in all fields, including trade, shipbuilding, maritime transport and tourism.

The two leaders also agreed to further bolster bilateral political relations and strengthen coordination and mutual support at international forums. They affirmed the significance of maintaining peace, development and cooperation, and respect for international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).