Prime Minister arrives in Abu Dhabi, begins official visit to UAE
At noon on October 27 local time, the plane carrying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation landed at Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi, beginning an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Welcoming the Prime Minister and his wife at the airport on the UAE side were Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister in charge of Talent Acquisition Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi; on the Vietnamese side were 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 Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister in charge of Talent Acquisition Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.
The Prime Minister expressed his delight at visiting the UAE. Mr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi was also delighted to welcome 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 Talent Attraction Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi thanked Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for his determination in directing ministries and sectors to promote cooperation with the UAE.
The Prime Minister's first destination during his visit to three Middle Eastern countries is the UAE. According to the schedule, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will officially visit the UAE from October 27-29, at the invitation of President of the United Arab Emirates Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
It is expected that after the official welcoming ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will hold talks with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and meet with senior leaders and representatives of major UAE corporations.
This is the first visit by a Vietnamese government leader to the UAE in 15 years since Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's visit in 2009.
Therefore, the visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is of great significance in contributing to strengthening political trust, elevating relations, creating breakthroughs in economic, trade, investment relations and new fields; creating momentum to open a new phase of cooperation between Vietnam and the UAE as well as with the Gulf region.
VVietnam - UAE bring comprehensive cooperation to new heights
Vietnam and the UAE established diplomatic relations on August 1, 1993. Over the past 30 years, the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the UAE have developed positively in many fields such as politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, labor and tourism. Political trust and mutual understanding between the two countries have been constantly strengthened.
The UAE is one of Vietnam's leading economic partners in the Middle East. Vietnam-UAE trade turnover in recent years has always reached about 5 billion USD; of which the turnover in 2023 reached 4.7 billion USD, an increase of 6.8% compared to 2022.
The two countries are striving to achieve the target of 10 billion USD in trade turnover in the coming time. Vietnam mainly exports to the UAE items such as phones and components, textiles, computers, electronic products and components, and footwear; imports from the UAE items such as raw plastics, animal feed, machinery, equipment, spare parts, base metals, and chemicals.
The UAE is one of the major investors in Vietnam with a total of 42 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects, total capital of 74.09 million USD, ranking 52nd out of 148 countries and territories investing in Vietnam (accumulated to September 2024).
The potential for economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and the UAE is assessed to have great room. The two countries have been negotiating the Vietnam-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) since June 2023 and agreed to soon complete negotiations to sign the CEPA.
At the end of August, during a meeting with Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister of Talent Acquisition Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and leaders of 19 large corporations of the UAE, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to the friendship and multifaceted cooperation with the UAE.
Vietnam considers the UAE a gateway to enhance cooperation with the Middle East region and is ready to act as a bridge for the UAE to promote cooperation with ASEAN.
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 wish that UAE investment funds increase investment in areas of Vietnam's need such as green transformation, digital transformation, and circular economy.
The UAE President affirmed his priority in promoting and bringing comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam to new heights and will direct UAE investment funds to actively explore opportunities to participate in investment projects in Vietnam.
After concluding his official visit to the UAE, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will pay an official visit to Qatar; visit and attend the 8th Future Investment Initiative Conference in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from October 29 to November 1.
The UAE has an area of 83,600 square kilometers; a population of 9.71 million people, of which nearly 90% are foreigners with a GDP of 509 billion USD, a GDP per capita of 53,101 USD, the 31st largest economy in the world and the 4th largest in the Middle East - North Africa and the second largest economy in the Gulf region.
The UAE is the leading financial and commercial center in the Middle East; the 4th largest oil producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Natural resources are mainly oil and gas with oil reserves of 98 billion barrels, accounting for about 10% of the world's total proven oil reserves; gas reserves of 5,892 billion m3, ranked 4th in the world (after Russia, Iran, and Qatar).
The UAE is aiming for sustainable development, establishing a leading position in new development trends in the world, implementing the "UAE Vision 2031", aiming to make the UAE a global economic center and a successful development model of the world...
In recent years, the UAE has proactively promoted the trend of détente in the region and actively implemented the "Look East" policy, attaching importance to relations with Asian countries, including Vietnam.
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