On the afternoon of March 6, Vietnam’s General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man held meetings with Kyrgyzstan’s Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev, who is visiting Vietnam.

General Secretary To Lam expressed confidence that this visit would usher in a new phase of friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

He emphasized that Vietnam highly values its relationship with Kyrgyzstan, a traditional partner that has long supported Vietnam in its struggle for independence and nation-building.

He described this long-standing friendship as an invaluable asset fostered by the leaders and people of both countries.

Over the past three decades, political and diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan have strengthened, and economic and trade cooperation has made significant progress. However, both nations recognize that there remains untapped potential for further collaboration.

Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan can play key roles in connecting Central Asia and ASEAN, creating new economic and trade opportunities.

Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev expressed his gratitude for Vietnam’s warm and respectful welcome. He praised Vietnam’s impressive economic and social achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and expressed interest in learning from Vietnam’s development experience.

The Prime Minister highlighted that Kyrgyzstan, as a mountainous country, seeks closer cooperation with Vietnam in environmental protection and mountain conservation efforts. Both leaders agreed that there is great potential to enhance bilateral ties based on mutual interests and complementary strengths.

Both sides emphasized the need to expand security and defense cooperation, strengthen transport connectivity, including aviation, railway, and logistics, and enhance links between Vietnam, Southeast Asia, Kyrgyzstan, and Central Asia.

On multilateral cooperation, the two nations agreed to deepen engagement in international organizations, including the United Nations and the Eurasian Economic Union, and to support each other’s initiatives in global forums.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Kasymaliev, President Luong Cuong highlighted the significance of the visit, calling it an opportunity to elevate bilateral relations.

After hearing about Vietnam’s achievements in economic reform and foreign policy, Prime Minister Kasymaliev expressed deep admiration for the country’s rapid development and increasing global influence.

Kyrgyzstan regards Vietnam as an important regional partner and seeks to enhance political trust, economic collaboration, and mutual investment.

President Luong Cuong and Prime Minister Kasymaliev agreed on the need to facilitate business exchanges, support enterprises in exploring investment opportunities, and strengthen the legal framework for economic cooperation.

Trade between the two nations has been growing, but President Luong Cuong noted that bilateral trade volume remains modest compared to the economic potential of both countries.

He called for greater efforts in trade, investment, education, science and technology, transportation, energy, mining, and cultural exchange.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Kasymaliev delivered a letter from Kyrgyz President Japarov, inviting President Luong Cuong to visit Kyrgyzstan. President Luong Cuong expressed Vietnam’s willingness to serve as a bridge for Kyrgyzstan to strengthen ties with ASEAN and expand its regional partnerships.

On the East Sea, President Luong Cuong emphasized the importance of maritime security and freedom of navigation. He urged Kyrgyzstan to support ASEAN and Vietnam’s stance on upholding international law, particularly the United Nations Charter and the 1982 UNCLOS Convention.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Kasymaliev, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man emphasized that the visit would inject new momentum into Vietnam-Kyrgyzstan parliamentary cooperation.

Chairman Tran Thanh Man reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to fostering stronger legislative ties, recognizing Kyrgyzstan’s growing role in Central Asia. He expressed Vietnam’s eagerness to explore new areas of cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides agreed to enhance economic, trade, investment, tourism, and transportation cooperation, as well as expand partnerships in education and cultural exchange.

Prime Minister Kasymaliev reaffirmed that Vietnam is a long-standing and key partner for Kyrgyzstan in Southeast Asia and expressed his country’s desire to broaden economic and political engagement with Vietnam.

Both sides agreed that their national parliaments would continue working closely and supporting each other in international parliamentary organizations such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments (MSEAP). They also committed to exchanging views and supporting each other’s stances on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

As part of his visit, Prime Minister Kasymaliev paid tribute to national heroes in Vietnam. He laid wreaths at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Monument to Fallen Soldiers on Bac Son Street in Hanoi.