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| At the signing ceremony. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his Tongan counterpart Fekitamoeloa Utoikamanu recently witnessed the signing of the Joint Communiqué on the establishment of Vietnam-Tonga diplomatic ties by the two ambassadors - heads of the missions of the two countries to the United Nations, in New York.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, with the establishment of diplomatic relations with Tonga, Vietnam had diplomatic relations with a total of 193 countries around the world.
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| With the establishment of diplomatic relations with Tonga, Vietnam had diplomatic relations with a total of 193 countries. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
Minister Bui Thanh Son emphasized that the event is a historic milestone in Vietnam-Tonga relations, laying an important foundation for the development of bilateral relations.
This meets the practical interests of the two peoples, for peace, cooperation and friendship in the region and the world.
On that basis, to promote the potential for cooperation between the two countries, Minister Bui Thanh Son proposed that the two sides strengthen the exchange of delegations at all levels, consider establishing a number of periodic bilateral exchange mechanisms to create a long-term cooperation framework, especially in potential fields of economics, trade and tourism.
Minister Utoikamanu, for her part, believed that there is significant potential and room for bilateral collaboration.
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| Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son met Tonga Foreign Minister Fekitamoeloa Utoikamanu. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
Fekitamoeloa Utoikamanu agreed with Minister Bui Thanh Son's proposals. She wanted the two countries to promote cooperation in issues of common concern such as tourism, climate change response, and fisheries.
On this occasion, the two sides agreed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, developing relations between ASEAN and Pacific island countries.
Before Tonga - the 193rd country with which Vietnam established diplomatic relations, on February 1, representatives of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago signed a joint communique on establishing diplomatic relations.
At that time, Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that with the establishment of diplomatic relations with Trinidad & Tobago, Vietnam had official diplomatic relations with all 35 countries in the Americas and 192 countries in the world. (including 190/193 United Nations member countries).
This continues to demonstrate the foreign policy of diversifying and multilateralizing international relations, attaching importance to developing relations with Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Kingdom of Tonga (the word "Tonga" in the local language means "south") is a Pacific island country, geographically located more than 5200 kilometers from the coast of Western Australia.
Tonga includes 169 small islands, with a total area of 748 kilometers square, and a population of over 106,000 people (in 2022).
Q.Hoa t.h / Vietnamtimes
