Message of a faithful, trustworthy, friendly, cooperative Vietnam

At the invitation of the governments of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Turkey, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, along with his spouse and a Vietnamese high-ranking delegation will attend the COP28 Climate Change Conference, engage in some bilateral activities in the UAE, and pay an official visit to Turkey from November 29 to December 3.

This is an occasion for Vietnam to convey the message of a responsible, proactive and active country in addressing the common global challenge of climate change, as well as to strengthen the political trust and deepen the multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and the UAE and Turkey in a more substantive and effective manner.

COP28 is the most important multilateral event on climate change in 2023, which marks the conclusion of the first-round review of global efforts on the implementation of the Paris Agreement for the 2015-2023 period. The conference is an important occasion for countries’ senior leaders to review what has been achieved and determine the major priorities for climate action in the coming time.

As one of the countries hardest hit by climate change, Vietnam has been active in implementing international commitments on climate change, especially the one on net-zero emissions by 2050. Vietnam is one of the first 30 countries to submit their nationally determined contribution (NDC) plan and is one of the three developing nations to participate in the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). It is also working to finalise and is expected to announce the plan to mobilise JETP resources at COP28.

Since climate change response is a priority in its socio-economic development, Vietnam hopes that COP28 will be an occasion for the international community to understand Vietnam’s determination and efforts, as well as the difficulties and challenges in dealing with climate change.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s working trip to attend COP28 and engage in some bilateral activities in the UAE takes place at a time in which the relationship between Vietnam and the UAE is growing positively. The UAE regards Vietnam as an important partner in the Asia-Pacific region, wishing to further enhance cooperation with Vietnam in all fields. In 2023, the two countries are marking their 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Since establishing diplomatic ties in August 1993, Vietnam and the UAE have frequently exchanged delegations at all levels, and supported each other at international forums and organisations.

The UAE is a leading trading partner of Vietnam in the Middle East, with the annual bilateral trade value reaching approximately 5 billion USD in recent years. In the first ten months of 2023, two-way trade was estimated at 4 billion USD, up 1.8% from last year. The two countries have started negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and are working to finalise negotiations and sign the agreement. The UAE is a large foreign investor in Vietnam, with 71.4 million USD invested across 38 projects. Currently there are about 4,500 Vietnamese people working in the UAE.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Turkey comes at a time when the friendly and cooperative relationship between the two countries is witnessing positive developments in many fields. In 2023, Vietnam and Turkey celebrate 45 years of diplomatic ties. The two sides maintain delegation exchanges at all levels. Turkey regards Vietnam as an important partner in ASEAN and is one of Vietnam’s leading trading partners in the Middle East. Bilateral trade reached nearly 2 billion USD in 2022. As of September 2023, Turkey has invested nearly 1 billion USD across 34 projects in Vietnam.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s working trip to attend COP28, engage in bilateral activities in the UAE, and pay an official visit to Turkey is highly important in that it affirms Vietnam’s consistent policy on green growth and climate change response; elevates Vietnam’s role in regional and international cooperation frameworks; and strengthens political trust while enhancing cooperative effectiveness between Vietnam and the UAE and Turkey.

This is an occasion for Vietnam to convey the message of strong commitments and responsible contributions by a peaceful, faithful, trustworthy Vietnam that stands ready to enhance friendship, dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation, and to build a peaceful and stable regional and international environment.