Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay Duong Quoc Thanh (Photo: VNA)

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Ambassador Thanh said that the visits, spanning from April 23-28, are the most important highlights of the activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Argentina and 30-year ties with Uruguay.

These are the first by a high-ranking leader of Vietnam to Argentina since 2010 and also the first to Uruguay since the two countries set up their diplomatic relations, he said.

According to the diplomat, Argentina is one of the first three Latin American countries to set up diplomatic relations with Vietnam, after Cuba and Chile, before Vietnam’s reunification in 1975.

In the late 90s of the last century, the two countries opened embassies in each other's capitals and bilateral relations developed increasingly and comprehensively in the fields of politics, economy, culture and people-to-people exchange.

In 2010, the two sides lifted their relations to a comprehensive partnership, paving the way for the breakthrough growth in their trade ties with two-way trade surging to 4.8 billion USD in 2022 from only 918 million USD in 2010, making Vietnam the fourth largest trade partner of Argentina in Asia and turning Argentina into the third most important trade partner of Vietnam in the Latin American region.

In the overall bilateral relations, parliamentary diplomacy plays an outstanding role with a high-level visit of NA Chairman Nguyen Van An in 2006 and those by NA Vice Chairmen Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Do Ba Ty in 2014 and 2018, respectively. The visits contributed to strengthening mutual understanding between leaders and peoples of the two sides, enabling the two countries to share experience on the role of the parliament in law-building and supervision activities, helping create a favourable legal corridor for the bilateral economic relations.

Amid the unexpectedly changing international situation, the relationship between Vietnam and Argentina is considered a model for the South-South partnership and boasts great development potential.

The strengths of the two countries can supplement each other, especially in agriculture, mining, science and technology. The ongoing visit by NA Chairman Hue, who is being accompanied with leaders of many ministries, sectors and localities, is believed to create momentum for the two countries to make better use of their potential, making their relationship more substantive and effective for the benefit of the two peoples, for peace and stability in each region as well as in the world.

Meanwhile, Uruguay, despite its small population of only over 3 million, is the Latin American country with highest per-capita income and the leading in trade liberalisation among Southern Common Market (Mercosur) members. Vietnam and Uruguay have shared many common economic interest and showed mutual support at international forums.

The Vietnamese top legislator’s visit aims to not only promote the partnership between the two countries in general and the two legislatures in particular, but also to strengthen bilateral parliamentary diplomacy with talks with Mercosur Parliament President and Vice Presidents representing member countries.

The Uruguay side shows the special respect to NA Chairman Hue, as the Montevideo City Council will award the title of Honourary Citizen of the city to the Vietnamese top legislator. Alongside, Uruguay has also repeatedly expressed its interest to strengthen relations with localities of Vietnam.

Ambassador Thanh said that Vietnam and Argentina and Uruguay shared the interest to strengthen their comprehensive cooperation to match each other’s potential.

Due to lack of information of each other and mutual understanding, cooperation opportunities and potential between Vietnam and the two Latin American countries have yet to be fully tapped. NA Chairman Hue’s visit is considered an important stepping stone for Vietnam to get closer to Argentina and Uruguay in particular and Latin American countries in general, thus effectively implementing Vietnam’s policy of diversifying and multilateralising economic and trade relations, enhancing the country’s position in the global supply and production chains, he said.

The visits also meet the aspirations of the two Latin American countries in bolstering economic relations with Asia, for which Vietnam is willing to act as a bridge, stated the diplomat.