Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever hosted an official welcome ceremony for To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President of Viet Nam, at Egmont Palace in Brussels on Friday noon local time. The ceremony was held during his official visit to Belgium.
When the car carrying the Vietnamese leader arrived at Egmont Palace, Prime Minister De Wever welcomed him with a handshake. A military band played Aux Champs in salute.
The two leaders then introduced officials from their respective delegations before moving to the ceremonial position in front of the national flags of Viet Nam and Belgium. In a solemn atmosphere, the military band performed both countries' national anthems.
After the ceremony, Prime Minister De Wever and To Lam, accompanied by high-ranking delegations from both countries, held talks.
Viet Nam and Belgium established diplomatic relations in 1973. Over more than five decades, the two countries have strengthened ties in politics and diplomacy, trade, agriculture, education and training, science and technology, and development cooperation at federal, regional and community levels.
Belgium attaches importance to its relationship with Viet Nam, values the country's economic development and has contributed to Viet Nam's development through development cooperation programmes. The two countries also coordinate actively in multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting and the ASEAN-EU framework.
Economic and trade cooperation between Viet Nam and Belgium has grown rapidly and continued to deepen in recent years. Belgium is currently Viet Nam's sixth-largest trading partner in the European Union, while Viet Nam is Belgium's largest trading partner in ASEAN.
The Vietnamese leader's official visit comes as bilateral relations benefit from favourable conditions after more than 50 years of diplomatic ties and eight years of strategic partnership in agriculture, established in 2018. The relationship is also supported by strong political trust, mutual understanding and engagement.
The visit is expected to elevate Viet Nam-Belgium relations and create breakthroughs in areas where both countries have strengths.
Sources: Viet Nam News
