His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, welcomed today His Excellency Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, who is on an official visit to the UAE.
Sheikh Mansour held an official reception for the visiting Prime Minister upon his arrival at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, featuring a 21-gun salute and a performance of the Vietnamese national anthem. Prime Minister Chinh greeted senior dignitaries as officials gathered to welcome him to the UAE.
Among those present to welcome Vietnam’s Prime Minister were Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for National Security; Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology.
Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment; Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Defence Affairs; Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade; Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the National Media Office; Dr. Bader Abdullah Al Matrooshi, UAE Ambassador to Vietnam, and a number of senior officials were also present.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed also extended his greetings to members of the Vietnamese delegation, which included several ministers, senior officials, and His Excellency Nguyen Thanh Diep, the Vietnamese ambassador to the UAE.
Non-oil bilateral trade grows to $6.1 billion
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Chinh arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Upon his arrival, he was received by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade and head of the honorary delegation accompanying the visiting Prime Minister. Dr. Bader Abdullah Al Matrooshi, UAE Ambassador to Vietnam, and several officials were also present. The Vietnamese Prime Minister’s visit to the UAE reflects the shared commitment of both countries to boost their ties.
Vietnam is the UAE’s largest non-oil trade partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with non-oil bilateral trade continuing to flourish in the first half of 2024, reaching $6.1 billion, a growth of 9 percent and 34 percent compared to the same period in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Read: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled to begin official visit to Singapore on Tuesday
Progress towards CEPA
In late August this year, Al Zeyoudi held talks with Chinh during a visit to Hanoi for a series of meetings with representatives from the public and private sectors to explore opportunities for stronger bilateral trade and investment ties. The talks with Vietnam’s Prime Minister focused on deepening cooperation in sectors that are crucial to both nations’ economic growth and diversification agendas, which include renewable energy, logistics, manufacturing, technology and agriculture.
The two sides also reviewed progress towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which will accelerate trade and investment flows by removing tariffs, simplifying customs procedures, and improving market access for services exporters.
For more economy news, click here.
