said Park Noh Wan, RoK Ambassador to Vietnam.

The first Vietnam-RoK strategic dialogue is expected to discuss opportunities and challenges of the bilateral strategic co-operative partnership in these changing times. —Photo baoquocte.vn

He was speaking at the first Vietnam-RoK strategic dialogue held in Hanoi on Wednesday during which diplomats and experts from the two countries discussed opportunities and challenges of the bilateral strategic co-operative partnership in these changing times.

“As the world has recently faced unpredictable crises and changes due to COVID-19, co-operation between the two countries is more important than ever,” the ambassador said.

The Moon Jae-in government has launched the new southern policy as an axis of foreign policy and strengthened relations with ASEAN, he said, emphasising that Vietnam is a key partner of the RoK among 10 ASEAN countries. Vietnam is RoK's fourth largest trading partner, and the RoK is the largest investor in Vietnam.

The first Vietnam-RoK strategic dialogue was held in the context of 28-year bilateral relations which have witnessed collaboration in various sectors, especially trade, investment, culture, tourism, people-to-people exchange and co-operation at multilateral forums.

Professor Nguyen Vu Tung, president of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, said facing new complicated developments in the region and the world, Vietnam and the RoK are in urgent need of deepening the strategic co-operative partnership for the interests of each side and for regional security and prosperity.

"Vietnam regards the RoK as a leading partner in a number of fields, meanwhile, the RoK puts Vietnam at the top partnership position in the new southern policy,” he said.

“Along with close relations in politics, economy, security and people-to-people exchange, the two countries have built family relations because many Vietnamese citizens are married to RoK nationals."

He expected Vietnamese and RoK experts at the dialogue to share their viewpoints on regional and global issues of mutual concerns and put forward policy recommendations to foster the partnership in the new normal context.

At the dialogue, about 25 diplomats including former Vietnamese and RoK ambassadors, experts and business representatives from Vietnam and RoK discussed the two countries’ perspectives on the new developments in the region and the world, especially US-China relations, regional hot spots, economic development prospects and trends under the impacts of COVID-19.

Initiatives and actions the two countries can take for more effective co-ordination and contribution in multilateral co-operative frameworks were also on the agenda.

The first Vietnam-RoK strategic dialogue was jointly organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, the RoK’s Embassy in Vietnam and the Korea Foundation.

Vietnam and the RoK established diplomatic relations in December 1992. The relations were elevated to comprehensive partnership in 2001 and strategic co-operative partnership in 2009.  VNS

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