The Prime Minister arrived in Abu Dhabi, beginning his official visit to the UAE.
At noon on October 27th local time, the special aircraft carrying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his wife, and the high-level Vietnamese delegation landed at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, beginning their official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Welcoming the Prime Minister and his wife at the airport on the UAE side were the Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister in charge of attracting talent, Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi; on the Vietnamese side were the Vietnamese Ambassador to the UAE, Nguyen Thanh Diep, and his wife, along with officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE.
At the airport, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a brief meeting with the Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister in charge of attracting talent, Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.
The Prime Minister expressed his pleasure at visiting the UAE. Mr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi also expressed his great pleasure in welcoming Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the UAE.
Emphasizing that this is an important milestone in bilateral relations, Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister in charge of attracting talent Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi thanked Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for his decisive direction of ministries and agencies in promoting cooperation with the UAE.
The Prime Minister's first destination on this three-country Middle Eastern tour is the UAE. According to the schedule, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will pay an official visit to the UAE from October 27-29, at the invitation of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Following the official welcoming ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to hold talks with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and meet with high-ranking leaders and representatives of major UAE corporations.
This is the first visit by a Vietnamese head of government to the UAE in 15 years, since Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's visit in 2009.
Therefore, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit is of paramount importance in contributing to strengthening political trust, elevating relations, creating breakthroughs in economic, trade, investment relations and new fields; and creating momentum to open a new phase of cooperation between Vietnam and the UAE as well as with the Gulf region.
VVietnam and the UAE elevate their comprehensive cooperation to a new level.
Vietnam and the UAE established diplomatic relations on August 1, 1993. Over the past 30 years, the friendly and cooperative relationship between Vietnam and the UAE has developed positively in many areas, including politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, labor, and tourism. Political trust and mutual understanding between the two countries have been continuously strengthened.
The UAE is one of Vietnam's leading economic partners in the Middle East region. Trade turnover between Vietnam and the UAE has consistently reached approximately US$5 billion in recent years; of which, in 2023, it reached US$4.7 billion, an increase of 6.8% compared to 2022.
The two countries are striving to achieve a trade turnover target of 10 billion USD in the near future. Vietnam mainly exports goods such as telephones and components, textiles, computers, electronic products and components, and footwear to the UAE; while importing goods such as raw plastics, animal feed, machinery and equipment parts, base metals, and chemicals from the UAE.
The UAE is one of the largest investors in Vietnam, with a total of 42 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects and a total capital of US$74.09 million, ranking 52nd out of 148 countries and territories investing in Vietnam (cumulative figures up to September 2024).
The potential for economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and the UAE is considered to have enormous room for growth. The two countries began negotiations on the Vietnam-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in June 2023 and agreed to finalize the negotiations soon to sign the CEPA agreement.
In late August, during a meeting with the Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister for Talent Acquisition, Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, along with leaders of 19 major UAE corporations, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam values its friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation with the UAE.
Vietnam views the UAE as a gateway to strengthening cooperation with the Middle East region and is ready to act as a bridge to help the UAE promote cooperation with ASEAN.
During a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the ASEAN-GCC summit in October 2023, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his desire for UAE investment funds to increase investment in areas where Vietnam has needs, such as green transformation, digital transformation, and circular economy.
The UAE President affirmed the priority of promoting and elevating comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam to a new level and will direct UAE investment funds to actively explore opportunities to participate in investment projects in Vietnam.
Following his official visit to the UAE, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will pay an official visit to Qatar; and visit and attend the 8th Future Investment Initiative Conference in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from October 29 to November 1.
The UAE covers an area of 83,600 km2; has a population of 9.71 million people, of which nearly 90% are foreigners, with a GDP of $509 billion, a GDP per capita of $53,101, making it the 31st largest economy in the world, the 4th largest in the Middle East and North Africa, and the second largest economy in the Gulf region.
The UAE is a leading financial and commercial center in the Middle East; the fourth largest oil producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
The main natural resources are oil and gas, with oil reserves of 98 billion barrels, accounting for approximately 10% of the world's total proven oil reserves; and gas reserves of 5,892 billion cubic meters.3, ranking 4th in the world (after Russia, Iran, and Qatar).
The UAE is moving towards sustainable development, establishing a leading position in new global development trends, implementing the "UAE Vision 2031," aiming to make the UAE a global economic hub and a model of successful development for the world...
In recent years, the UAE has proactively promoted a trend of détente in the region and actively implemented its "Look East" policy, valuing relations with Asian countries, including Vietnam.
