Opening up new directions for cooperation, in line with the trends of the times in Vietnam-Ireland relations

Signing and writing in the guest book at the Irish Presidential Palace, General Secretary and President To Lam expressed his joy in visiting Ireland - the beautiful "pearl island" rich in cultural traditions.

General Secretary and President To Lam holds talks with Irish President Michael D. Higgins. (Photo: Tri Dung/VNA)

Over the past 30 years, since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Vietnam and Ireland have built a strong and increasingly strong and effective relationship. Similarities between Asia and Europe After finishing his visit to Mongolia, continuing his working trip, General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation paid a State visit to Ireland. The first impression when arriving at the "pearl island" in the far Northwest of Europe was the warmth, respectful and friendly welcome of the Irish leaders and people for General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation. Although geographically far apart between Asia and Europe, Vietnam and Ireland have similarities in history and patriotic traditions, the will to rise, and a diverse and unique culture. During the talks, Irish President Michael Higgins not only affirmed his respect for Vietnam's position and role in the Asia- Pacific region, but also emphasized that the two countries have many similarities and there is no field or topic that the two sides cannot discuss and cooperate on. This is not the first time the Irish President has shared about the similarities between the two distant Asian and European countries and peoples.

After nearly 30 years of establishing diplomatic relations, the cooperative and friendly relationship between Vietnam and Ireland has achieved many important achievements and has been increasingly consolidated and strengthened in all fields.

In 2016, during his State visit to Vietnam, President Michael Higgins emphasized that Vietnam and Ireland have many similarities in history and culture. The two peoples and two countries have both undergone great sacrifices and losses on their journey of steadfast and indomitable struggle for freedom and independence. Coming to Ireland, it is easy to feel the similarities because of the tradition of studiousness, peace and hospitality, family values ​​and solidarity always expressed in each person. In just over 10 years of construction and development, from one of the poorest countries in Europe, Ireland has risen to become a leading knowledge-based economy in the world, a model of development for small and medium-sized countries. Meanwhile, Vietnam, from a poor and backward country, devastated by war and embargoed, has become an open, dynamic economy, a bright spot in growth; is one of the 40 largest economies in the world and the top 20 economies in the world in terms of attracting foreign investment and trade scale; has established diplomatic relations with 194 countries. After nearly 30 years of establishing diplomatic relations, the cooperative and friendly relationship between Vietnam and Ireland has achieved many important achievements, increasingly consolidated and strengthened in all fields. Economic-trade-investment cooperation has become an important pillar of cooperation and is developing positively when two-way trade turnover reached 3.5 billion USD in 2024; trade turnover between the two countries has increased 2.5 times in just the past six years despite fluctuations from the global economy in recent times. Currently, Ireland has 41 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of more than 60 million USD, ranking 55/144 countries and territories with investment projects in Vietnam. Ireland is also Vietnam’s sixth largest trading partner and second largest import market in the European Union. The two countries continue to effectively utilize the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), promote trade and investment connections, support the business community, and strive to increase trade turnover between the two countries to 5 billion USD by 2026 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Ireland currently has 41 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of over 60 million USD, ranking 55th out of 144 countries and territories with investment projects in Vietnam. Ireland is also the sixth largest trading partner and the second largest import market of Vietnam in the European Union.

Creating a new development space The State visit to Ireland by the General Secretary and President was marked not only by bilateral meetings with Irish leaders, but also by meetings with Irish scholars, scientists, intellectuals, students, and international students studying in Ireland. At Trinity College Dublin - one of the oldest and most prestigious training institutions in the world, the policy speech of the General Secretary and President with visionary orientations for a new era in the Vietnam-Ireland friendship and cooperation for peace, cooperation, and development attracted the attention and appreciation of scholars, lecturers, scientists, and students from countries studying in Ireland. The General Secretary and President affirmed that the world is undergoing epochal changes. In particular, Europe and Asia- Pacific are the two regions most deeply affected. The epochal changes bring new opportunities and advantages to all countries, but along with that come many challenges. For Vietnam, this is a period of important strategic opportunities, a sprint to create a new era - the era of rising up of the Vietnamese people. For Ireland, this is a key stage to complete the National Planning Framework 2040, successfully transforming the growth model towards a more sustainable and balanced direction, for a better life for all people. The General Secretary and President emphasized that in order to make the most of strategic opportunities, transforming challenges into opportunities, it is necessary to proactively create new development spaces for the benefit and prosperity of the people of the two countries; create breakthroughs in enhancing autonomy, self-reliance, self-reliance and adaptability to new global challenges; raise the level and proactively expand the contributions of Vietnam and Ireland to international peace, cooperation and development issues. Vice-Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin Orla Sheils said she was particularly impressed with the speech of the General Secretary and President. “It was great to hear the General Secretary and President talk about strength and peacekeeping. I was also impressed by his special attention to the technological revolution and how we can contribute. Ireland and Trinity College Dublin are very proud of the progress we have made and I see great opportunities for sharing experiences and common development between Vietnam and Ireland as well as Trinity College Dublin,” Ms. Orla Sheils shared. During the talks with General Secretary and President To Lam, President Michael Higgins also agreed on the principles and directions of major cooperation to bring bilateral relations into a new era, more comprehensive, extensive, effective and substantive; affirming the common values ​​that the two countries share. That is, respecting peace, the spirit of independence and self-reliance, promoting multilateralism, respecting international law and the strength of international friendship and solidarity. Vietnam always welcomes and welcomes Irish businesses to expand cooperation with Vietnam. The similarities between Vietnam and Ireland are not only reflected in history and culture but also in economics and vision for the future. Currently, with a long-term vision, Vietnam is orienting to selectively attract investment towards the development of the digital economy, green economy, circular economy and knowledge economy. Accordingly, priority is given to projects in high technology, electronics, semiconductors, innovation, renewable energy, new energy (hydrogen), biotechnology, healthcare, international financial centers, modern trade and services, infrastructure construction, research and development activities... During the meeting with leading Irish businesses by General Secretary and President To Lam in Dublin, leaders of Ireland's 15 largest corporations all expressed their interest and investment in Vietnam, focusing on four key and potential areas of cooperation, including: High technology, agriculture, industry-energy, healthcare. These are also the sectors that Vietnam intends to prioritize development in the coming time. It can be said that the similarities in history, culture, the close development between the two countries and the visions of creating development space for the new era always link the long-lasting friendship between Vietnam and Ireland. As General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed: Patriotism, the ideal of freedom, national independence, the desire for peace and common cultural values ​​will be the “glue” that binds our two peoples today and tomorrow, and is the foundation for the Vietnam-Ireland relationship to develop more strongly in the future. As the Irish proverb says: “Of all relationships, friendship is the best and will always be.”

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Source: https://nhandan.vn/khai-mo-nhung-huong-di-moi-cho-hop-tac-gan-voi-cac-xu-huong-cua-thoi-dai-trong-quan-he-viet-nam-ireland-post834739.html