Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and senior Vietnamese officials will attend the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, and visit Hungary and Romania.
| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse. Photo: Vietnam News Agency |
The trips are being made at the invitation of WEF founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Romanian Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release on January 11.
The WEF's 54th annual meeting will be held in the Swiss town of Davos from January 15-19 and will discuss the theme of "rebuilding trust" in a rapidly changing and fragmented world.
The meeting will bring together some 70 heads of state and government, 250 ministers, 2,500 heads of companies and international organizations, civil society leaders, experts, youth representatives, social entrepreneurs and the media.
Delegates at the event will discuss solutions to address the world's pressing issues, including economic growth, environmental and nature conservation measures, energy security, technology management, and human development.
Vietnam and the WEF established their partnership in 1989, which has been greatly strengthened in recent years. Vietnam has participated in four WEF annual meetings at the Prime Ministerial level in 2007, 2019, 2017 and 2019, and four WEF ASEAN meetings in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018, especially the event hosted by Vietnam in 2018.
Trips to Hungary and Romania
Prime Minister Chinh and his spouse and his delegation will then travel to Romania and Hungary to discuss ways to improve Vietnam's relations with the two Eastern European nations.
Vietnam and Hungary established diplomatic relations on February 3, 1950. The two nations upgraded their relations to the level of comprehensive partnership in 2018 during General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to the Eastern European country.
In 2022, Vietnam and Hungary hit a bilateral trade of US$1.2 billion, almost double the 2018 figure. The two economies also pledged to make full use of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), improve the performance of the Joint Economic Cooperation Commission, and facilitate trade in goods.
Meanwhile, Vietnam and Romania have seen strong cooperation in all areas of politics, foreign affairs, economic activities, national security and defense, education and training, and cultural exchanges.
Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Romania increased by nearly 15% year-on-year to around $425 million in 2022. About one thousand Vietnamese now live in Romania.
