General Secretary To Lam received the Finland-Vietnam Friendship Association

General Secretary To Lam with delegates. (Photo: VNA)

At the reception, General Secretary To Lam expressed his pleasure at meeting the members of the Executive Board of the Finland-Vietnam Friendship Association, an organization established in 1971, before the two countries established diplomatic relations. Moved by the sentiments and valuable support that the Friendship Association and Finnish friends have given to the Vietnamese people, the General Secretary emphasized that the Vietnamese people will never forget the thousands of Finnish people who took to the streets to demand an end to the war in Vietnam, clean water projects, poverty reduction, and rural development in the days of national reconstruction after the war.

Appreciating the Association's practical and effective activities in consolidating and developing the friendship and cooperation between the people of the two countries in the fields of cultural exchange, education and training, people-to-people exchange and development cooperation, General Secretary To Lam affirmed that the Association has truly become a solid bridge, contributing to enhancing understanding and solidarity between the people of the two countries.

The General Secretary suggested that the Finland-Vietnam Friendship Association's Executive Board continue to closely coordinate with the Vietnam-Finland Friendship Association and people's organizations of the two countries to promote exchange activities, communication, and promotion of the history, traditions, and culture of each country, contributing to enhancing understanding between the two peoples and expanding bilateral cooperation in other fields.

President of the Finland-Vietnam Friendship Association Mauri Raveala and representatives of former experts warmly welcomed General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to their official visit to Finland; welcomed the upgrading of the two countries' relations to a strategic partnership and expressed their belief that the General Secretary's visit would create a new impetus, contributing to consolidating and deepening the traditional friendship and good feelings between the two peoples.

Sharing profound memories of the country and people of Vietnam, expressing his impression of Vietnam's development achievements in recent times, especially in improving people's lives, the President of the Finland-Vietnam Friendship Association happily informed about the cooperation activities with Vietnamese partners in recent times in organizing exchange activities, promoting Vietnamese culture, art, and cuisine to the Finnish people and expanding cooperation to other fields such as education and training, green technology, and waste treatment.

The two sides agreed to emphasize the importance of enhancing exchanges and friendly cooperation between the two peoples, considering this a solid foundation to consolidate bilateral relations in all fields, contributing to promoting peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world; and continuing to promote the core role of people's organizations in strengthening solidarity and friendship between the two peoples.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen coordination and be more creative in people-to-people exchange activities with richer content, attracting the wide participation of all walks of life, scientists, experts, businessmen and especially the young generation of the two countries, so that the story of Vietnam-Finland friendship will be inherited by future owners and continue to write new, bright and vibrant pages, commensurate with the new level of relations.

HANH NGUYEN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tong-bi-thu-to-lam-tiep-hoi-huu-nghi-phan-lan-viet-nam-post917286.html