Nghe An Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy receives former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet

Thanh Duy• March 28, 2023 14:47

(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of March 28, in Vinh City, Comrade Thai Thanh Quy - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, Chairman of the People's Council of Nghe An province received Ms. Michelle Bachelet - former President of Chile who is visiting Nghe An.

Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy and provincial leaders welcomed Ms. Michelle Bachelet - former President of Chile and her delegation to visit Nghe An province. Photo: Thanh Duy

The delegation included Mr. Sergio Narea - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Chile to Vietnam; together with the District Chief and leaders of Cerro Navia District, Santiago Capital - where the park and statue of President Ho Chi Minh are located. Also attending the reception was Ambassador Pham Truong Giang - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Chile.

On the side of Nghe An province, there were comrades: Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Pham Trong Hoang - Member of the Standing Committee, Chief of the Provincial Party Committee Office; Bui Dinh Long - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and leaders of a number of departments, branches and sectors.

The relationship between Vietnam and Chile began during the fierce years of the Vietnamese people's resistance war against the US, starting with the historic meeting between President Ho Chi Minh and Senate President Salvador Allende Gossens (later President of Chile) in May 1969. The meeting laid the foundation for the solidarity and cooperation between Vietnam and Chile.

Nghe An Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy talks with Ms. Michelle Bachelet - former President of Chile. Photo: Thanh Duy

Chile was the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam on March 25, 1971. The two countries established a Comprehensive Partnership in 2007. The political and diplomatic relations between the two countries have become increasingly close and trustworthy through regular dialogue at all levels. Economic and trade relations continue to maintain an increasing momentum, especially after the two sides ratified the Free Trade Agreement in 2011 and joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) signed in March 2018; member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC)... as well as close coordination at international organizations and multilateral forums.

Chile is currently Vietnam's third largest export market to Latin America. Vietnam is Chile's largest trading partner in ASEAN. Trade turnover between the two countries in 2022 reached 2.15 billion USD; of which, Vietnam exported 1.72 billion USD and imported 431 million USD.

Ms. Michelle Bachelet - former President of Chile talks with Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy. Photo: Thanh Duy

On behalf of the provincial leaders, Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy was delighted to welcome Ms. Michelle Bachelet and the delegation on their first visit to Nghe An - the homeland of President Ho Chi Minh; expressing his appreciation for the former Chilean President's good feelings towards Vietnam in general and Nghe An province in particular. This is a vivid demonstration of the continuation of the good friendship between Vietnam and Chile over the past 50 years, and an opportunity to promote the development of comprehensive cooperation between Nghe An province and Chile.

Expressing her joy at returning to visit Vietnam on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of diplomatic relations between Chile and Vietnam, and the country that always considered her a close friend, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet thanked the leaders of Nghe An province for the warm welcome given to her and her delegation.

Mr. Mauro Elias Tamayo - District Chief of Cerro Navia District, Santiago Capital, Chile spoke at the reception. Photo: Thanh Duy

Reviewing the milestones in the relationship between Chile and Vietnam starting from the 60s of the last century, especially during the Pinochet dictatorship, despite the difficulties, the Cerro Navia district always preserved Ho Chi Minh Square and now Ho Chi Minh Park, Ms. Michelle Bachelet shared: The affection of the Chilean people for Vietnam is not only in their hearts but also in concrete actions.

Therefore, within the framework of this visit to Vietnam, on the basis of the good traditional friendship between the two countries, she really hopes to strengthen cooperation between localities and people-to-people exchange activities between the two countries.

Nghe An Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy presents a souvenir to Ms. Michelle Bachelet - former President of Chile. Photo: Thanh Duy

Sharing his impressions and feelings about the good and warm sentiments, as well as the development achievements of Chile during his visit in October 2022 when participating in the delegation of the leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam, the Secretary of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee briefly introduced some characteristics of the province in terms of natural conditions, economy, culture, society and the cooperative relationship between Nghe An and Chilean partners.

In 2022, Nghe An's export turnover to Chile reached more than 1.2 million USD with the main export items being: Shoes, sandals, white limestone powder, handicrafts, rice... Currently, Nghe An has no import turnover from Chile. There are also no foreign direct investment (FDI) projects from Chile in the province.

Nghe An Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy presented a souvenir to Mr. Sergio Narea - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Chile to Vietnam. Photo: Thanh Duy

Believing that the cooperation between Nghe An province and Chile is still very modest and not commensurate with the potential of both sides, Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy hopes that former President Michelle Bachelet, the Ambassador, the District Chief and the Vietnamese Ambassador to the Republic of Chile will create a bridge to promote and strengthen the cooperative relationship between Nghe An and Chile more effectively.

The head of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee also informed former President Michelle Bachelet and members of the delegation about the plan of visiting and working in Chile by the high-ranking leaders of Nghe An province, expected at the end of this year to implement cooperation programs.

Nghe An Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy presented a souvenir to Mr. Mauro Elias Tamayo - District Chief of Cerro Navia District, Santiago Capital, Chile. Photo: Thanh Duy

In particular, the project “Memories of Vietnam - Chile” was implemented in collaboration with Cerro Navia District. This is a project to build an exhibition space about President Ho Chi Minh. Through viewing the images and simulated videos of the exhibition space, Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy was very grateful for the good feelings that Chile and Cerro Navia District have for Vietnam in general and beloved President Ho Chi Minh in particular.

Nghe An province strongly supports and agrees with the project implementation policy, so that when completed, it will strengthen the relationship between the two countries, especially people-to-people diplomacy. At the same time, through the working trip, Nghe An province hopes to have a cooperation program with Cerro Navia district.

Ms. Michelle Bachelet - former President of Chile presented a souvenir to Nghe An Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy. Photo: Thanh Duy

Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy hopes to receive the attention and support of former President Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean Embassy in Vietnam, the Vietnamese Embassy in Chile, and Cerro Navia district to make the Nghe An delegation's visit to Chile a success, opening up cooperation opportunities between the two sides.

Ms. Michelle Bachelet shared her special feelings for the country and people of Vietnam; expressed her admiration for the indomitable and resilient spirit of the Vietnamese people in the struggle for national independence and the achievements in the process of building the country today; in particular, President Ho Chi Minh is a symbol in the hearts of peace lovers around the world; thereby, committed to providing maximum support to implement the "Memory of Vietnam - Chile" Project in Cerro Navia district; as well as supporting the delegation of Nghe An province to have the most effective visit and work in Chile, in order to exploit the potential for cooperation between the two sides.

Ms. Michelle Bachelet - former President of Chile with the delegation and leaders of Nghe An province took a souvenir photo. Photo: Thanh Duy

The Secretary of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee appreciated the good feelings of Mrs. Michelle Bachelet and the delegation for Nghe An province - the homeland of President Ho Chi Minh. In the coming time, Nghe An will use diplomatic channels to issue an official note to coordinate the preparation for the visit and work in Chile of the Nghe An provincial delegation.

Michelle Bachelet Jeria was born on September 29, 1951, in the capital Santiago. She is the first female President in the history of the Republic of Chile after being elected in December 2005, officially taking office as President for the first term from March 2006 to March 2010. She was then re-elected and officially taking office as President of Chile for the second term from 2014 to 2018. This is the fourth time she has visited Vietnam.