President Strengthens Diplomatic Ties With Austria, Italy, and Vatican During Trip to Vietnam

State President Vo Van Thuong and his wife took a photo with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and his wife at the meeting. Photo: VNA

Vietnam follows a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, and multilateralization. Our goal is to be a friend, a reliable partner of all countries, and a responsible member of the international community.

President Vo Van Thuong emphasized this policy during his official visit to Austria, state visit to Italy, and the Vatican. The visit was successful and exceeded expectations, receiving appreciation and warm reception from the leaders of these countries.

New Path of Vietnam-Austria Cooperation

President Vo Van Thuong’s visit to Vienna marks the first visit to Austria by a President of Vietnam in the past 15 years. It carries an important mission to implement the foreign policy of the 13th Party Congress and promote and deepen bilateral cooperation with Austria. The visit also aims to strengthen Vietnam-European Union (EU) relations and the relations between the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

During the visit, President Vo Van Thuong and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen agreed on measures to further strengthen the relationship between Vietnam and Austria in all fields. President Alexander Van der Bellen affirmed that Vietnam is an important partner of Austria and the EU. President Vo Van Thuong believes that this visit will create new motivation, strengthen mutual understanding and trust, and lay a foundation for the strong development of the relationship between the two countries in the future.

President Vo Van Thuong and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen met with the press after the talks. Photo: VNA

President Vo Van Thuong’s visit to Austria received extensive coverage from major Austrian media channels and newspapers. The Vienna.at website quoted President Vo Van Thuong, expressing his hope that the visit would contribute to the stronger development of the relationship between Vietnam and Austria.

The Austrian Parliament’s website quoted the President of the Federal Council of Austria Claudia Arpa, stating Austria’s interest in expanding a good partnership with Vietnam.

Vietnam-Italy Friendship and Strategic Partnership

The State visit to Italy is the first visit of President Vo Van Thuong to a member country of the Group of Seven (G7), the EU, and a strategic partner of Vietnam. Italy warmly welcomed President Vo Van Thuong and ratified the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by the Italian Parliament, adding to the success of the visit and promoting other EU countries to ratify the agreement as well.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella welcomes President Vo Van Thuong. Photo: VNA

Italian President Sergio Mattarella expressed his happiness about the cooperation between the two countries, not only in politics, economics, and culture but also in friendship, sympathy, and mutual support. President Vo Van Thuong quoted Dante, the famous Italian poet, stating the importance of acting together to realize commitments and contribute to the development of both countries and the happiness of both peoples. The two sides signed a joint statement on strengthening the Vietnam-Italy strategic partnership, laying out major directions and specific measures to deepen cooperation in various fields.

New History of Vietnam-Vatican Relationship

State President Vo Van Thuong’s visit to the Vatican holds special significance as July is a rare time for the Pope and the Holy See to arrange receptions. However, the meeting between President Vo Van Thuong and Pope Francis took place longer than expected, resulting in the announcement of the regulation on the operation of the Holy See’s Permanent Representative in Vietnam, marking an important development in the Vietnam-Vatican relationship. During the meeting, Pope Francis expressed his wishes for the better development of the two sides’ relations and encouraged the Catholic community in Vietnam to contribute to the country’s development and the Church. President Vo Van Thuong was touched to learn about Pope Francis’ lifelong support for Vietnam’s struggle for independence and his ongoing concern for the country, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The visit to the Vatican has great significance, strengthening trust in the Party and State of Vietnam’s policies on religion and promoting national unity.

State President Vo Van Thuong meets Pope Francis. Photo: VNA

The friendship between Vietnam and Austria, Italy, and the Vatican has achieved outstanding and comprehensive results during President Vo Van Thuong’s official visit. It has laid a strong foundation for the future development of cooperation between the countries and strengthened mutual understanding and trust.