Vietnam - Poland Joint Statement on Enhancing Bilateral Relations

At the invitation of Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh paid an official visit to the Republic of Poland from January 16 to 18, 2025. The visit marked the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

1.The two leaders agreed that over the past years, both countries have achieved important achievements in socio-economic development. The traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Poland have developed rapidly and effectively in many fields.

2.Building on the achievements and recognizing the great potential for further strengthening cooperation, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized the need for the two sides to promote political, economic, industrial, local cooperation and people-to-people exchanges more extensively and effectively, aiming to upgrade the Vietnam-Poland relationship to a strategic level in the near future.

Political and Diplomatic Relations

3.The two sides agreed to increase high-level visits and contacts between the Communist Party, State, Government, National Assembly and local authorities of Vietnam and the Polish Government through all channels to strengthen political cooperation and mutual understanding. The two sides identified annual political consultations as the main mechanism to review and update cooperation activities.

4.The two sides agreed to promote dialogue between the two foreign ministries and wished to expand cooperation on international and regional issues, including policy making and coordination of positions at multilateral forums, especially within the framework of the United Nations, ASEAN - EU and ASEM. The two sides committed to promoting inter-regional cooperation through strengthening Vietnam - EU and Poland - ASEAN relations. Vietnam expressed its support for Poland's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).

5.The two sides reaffirmed their support for multilateralism and the international system with the United Nations at its center, as well as an international order based on the fundamental principles of international law, including the United Nations Charter. These principles include non-use or threat of use of force, respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, and settlement of disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law.

6.The two sides stressed the need to address global challenges, including climate change, water security, energy security and food security, pandemics, disinformation, fake news, migration, and the deteriorating international and regional security situation.

7.The Polish Prime Minister informed the Vietnamese Prime Minister about the "war in Ukraine". The two sides emphasized the need to achieve comprehensive, just and lasting peace in accordance with international law and the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter.

8.The two sides reaffirmed their support for ASEAN's principled stance on the East Sea, emphasizing the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Economic, Trade, Agricultural and Development Cooperation

9.The two sides emphasized that economic and trade cooperation is one of the important pillars of bilateral relations and agreed to promote balanced bilateral trade. Accordingly, the two sides acknowledged the role of the economic cooperation consultation mechanism between relevant ministries and branches of Vietnam and Poland and agreed to facilitate cooperation between the business communities of the two countries. In order to balance bilateral trade, the two sides agreed to promote exchanges under the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Poland announced its readiness to promote the ratification process of the Vietnam - EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

10.The two sides expressed their intention to strengthen cooperation in areas of complementary strengths such as digitalization, green transformation, renewable energy, processing and manufacturing industry, exploration, exploitation and processing of natural resources, infrastructure development, railways, transportation, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, labor, environment, water management and marine economy.

11.The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector and affirmed to continue efforts to increase mutually beneficial bilateral trade in the field of agricultural products and food, taking into account Vietnam's obligations as an ASEAN member and Poland's as an EU member.

12.The two sides agreed to maintain development cooperation by tailoring Polish support to Vietnam’s needs and current EU initiatives to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They agreed to promote dialogue on the project to build a search and rescue vessel that will be financed under a credit agreement between the two governments.

Defense and Security Cooperation

13.The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation within the framework of the existing defense cooperation agreement, especially in the field of officer training and issues related to the defense industry, as well as to explore cooperation possibilities in the field of cyber security.

14.The two sides expressed their desire to increase experience sharing and coordination in preventing and combating crime, especially organized and transnational crime, illegal migration and human trafficking, continue cooperation in the field of border protection and migration issues, including implementing training programs for Vietnamese migration officers provided by the Polish side, and amend existing agreements to reflect current and future migration needs.

Cooperation in Education, Science, Technology, Culture, Tourism and People-to-People Exchange

15.The two sides expressed their wish to expand cooperation in the fields of education, science and vocational training, which are traditional areas of cooperation, as well as in research and development, protection of cultural heritage, tourism and people-to-people exchange.

16.The two sides encouraged airlines to cooperate and consider resuming direct flights between the two countries to promote tourism, cargo transport and people-to-people exchanges. Poland welcomed Vietnam's decision to waive visa requirements for Polish citizens entering the country for group tourism purposes regardless of passport type. The two sides agreed to continue discussions on this issue.

17.The two sides reaffirmed to maintain cooperation to facilitate the development and integration of the Vietnamese community in Poland, actively contributing to strengthening relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the leaders and people of Poland for their warm welcome to him and the high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese Government, and respectfully invited Prime Minister Donald Tusk to pay an official visit to Vietnam./.