Prime Minister Abe and his spouse are visiting Vietnam at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc after touring three other Asia – Pacific countries – the Philippines, Australia and Indonesia.Welcoming Abe’s official visit to Vietnam, President Tran Dai Quang acknowledged Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s role in and devotion to nurturing the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership. President Quang noted with satisfaction the strong, comprehensive and substantive development of the extensive strategic partnership with high political trust.
Vietnam attaches importance to all-round cooperation with Japan and considers this a priority in its foreign policy, he said. He added his country warmly welcomes the first State visit by the Japanese Emperor and Queen and regards the trip as an important symbol of bilateral ties. Vietnamese agencies are working closely with the Japanese side to prepare for the visit.
The host also repeated an invitation to PM Abe to attend the APEC Summit slated for November 2017 in Vietnam. He highly valued the outcomes of the talks between the Vietnamese and Japanese PMs, adding that the common perceptions they reached at this event will be a new driving force for the extensive strategic partnership.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the press conference on January 16 evening
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President Quang asked both sides to beef up partnership in investment, trade, ODA provision and in the fields they have potential in and can support each other like labour, agriculture, education-training, locality-to-locality cooperation, and tourism. They need to continue close coordination and mutual support at international and regional forums such as the United Nations, the East Asia Summit, ASEAN Plus, APEC, and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).
At the meeting, PM Shinzo Abe reiterated his Government’s wish to intensify the extensive strategic partnership with Vietnam. He agreed with the Vietnamese President’s opinions on measures to augment bilateral relations.
He thanked the Southeast Asian nation for actively preparing for the State visit by the Japanese Emperor and Queen, stressing that his country also considers this visit as a symbol of their friendship and all-faceted cooperation.
The Japanese Government is ready and pledges to cooperate comprehensively with Vietnam in APEC initiatives. It will also give wholehearted support to the country to successfully organise APEC events throughout 2017, he added.
PM Shinzo Abe underscored the importance of ensuring peace, security, maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the East Sea, urging parties concerned to refrain from actions that cause tension and militarisation resulting in changing the status quo in the waters, promote the settlement of disputes by peaceful means. The sides should fully respect diplomatic and legal processes, not to use force or threat to use force, seriously abide by international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), towards promptly reaching a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
The visit reflects the importance that Japan attaches to the extensive strategic partnership between the two countries and reaffirms Vietnam’s view of Japan as a key partner in the long term. The two countries will work together to strengthen political trust and push for further cooperation in various fields, including economy, trade, investment, official development assistance (ODA), as well as agriculture, education, human resources together with adaptation to climate change, labour, national defence and security.
"Japan will continue to support Vietnam to strengthen regional security, especially in the maritime field. Peace and prosperity areas closely related to the sustainable maintenance and expansion of freedom of navigation . Vietnam and other countries to share the spirit of rule of law, resolve disputes by peaceful means. This will be the basic platform that cannot budge, with solid principles that Asia Pacific will maintain peace and stability," Prime Minister Abe concluded at the press conference.
