On October 17 in Hanoi, after the official welcoming ceremony, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of Vietnam To Lam held talks with Swiss President Guy Parmelin.
To Lam praised Switzerland as one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam and noted the Swiss president's feelings for Vietnam and its people.
To Lam said Vietnam attaches great importance to friendship and broad cooperation with Switzerland. He said the visit demonstrated the two countries' efforts to implement and deepen the comprehensive partnership established in January 2025.
To Lam expressed his belief that prosperity in Switzerland and Vietnam should serve the interests of both countries and peoples and contribute to peace and prosperity in the region and the world.
He said Vietnam attaches great importance to its comprehensive partnership with Switzerland and wants the two countries to continue developing together and contribute to peace, stability and development in the region.
Guy Parmelin welcomed the progress in bilateral cooperation. He said bilateral trade had grown by 7% annually over the past four years, while investment had increased by 8% a year. He said a free trade agreement between Vietnam, Switzerland and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries would give businesses a good opportunity to develop cooperation. More than 100 Swiss companies are already present in Vietnam, while Switzerland has promising technologies and solutions and Vietnam has rapid growth and a young population.
The two leaders welcomed the development of bilateral relations over more than five decades. They agreed to continue close coordination to advance cooperation within the comprehensive partnership and make use of the Vietnam-EFTA free trade agreement.
The Swiss president said countries with medium-sized economies could coordinate joint economic initiatives to promote multilateralism and free trade. He invited Vietnam to join the Partnership for the Future of Investment and Trade initiative.
The Swiss president agreed with six main areas of cooperation proposed by To Lam, including political contacts, mutual support at multilateral forums, expanded trade and investment after the Vietnam-EFTA free trade agreement, and more Swiss investment in Vietnam, especially in ports.
The sides discussed cooperation in finance and banking, including digital finance, blockchain, digital assets and financial technology. They also agreed to develop science, technology and innovation cooperation, expand academic links, and strengthen work on the environment, culture and tourism. Defense and security, especially peacekeeping and crime prevention, were also named as important areas. The sides plan to continue people-to-people exchanges.
The sides said countries are facing many challenges and risks as major powers increase their confrontation. They stressed the need to strengthen dialogue in the spirit of neutrality. The Swiss president praised Vietnam's balanced foreign policy, saying it helped the country build its position in the region and the world.
To Lam and Guy Parmelin witnessed the handover of cooperation documents between ministries and agencies in labor, science, technology, trade and urban development. The leaders expressed hope that the documents would lead to concrete results benefiting businesses and people in both countries.
The Swiss president invited Vietnam to attend the Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Switzerland in 2027 to further promote cooperation in artificial intelligence.
The leaders expressed confidence that the Swiss president's official visit to Vietnam with his spouse would strengthen friendship, political trust and understanding between the two peoples and give new momentum to the development of the Vietnam-Switzerland comprehensive partnership.
Sources: Thanh Niên
