President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse will pay an official visit to Thailand and attend the 29^th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting there from November 16 to 19. (Photo: VNA)

President Phuc, his spouse, and a high-ranking delegation of Viet Nam will visit Thailand and attend the APEC event, held in Bangkok from November 16 to 19, at the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Talking to the press, Deputy Minister Ngoc said the trip holds special importance to both countries as it will mark the official resumption of in-person mutual visits and thus, further promote the two countries’ comprehensive cooperation.

He elaborated that this is the first visit to Thailand by President Phuc as the State leader of Viet Nam and also the first visit by a key Vietnamese leader after the 13^th National Party Congress and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Besides, President Phuc is the first foreign leader to pay an official visit to Thailand ahead of the 29^th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. The host’s welcome for him amid its preparations for the APEC event shows its respect for the reinforcement of the enhanced strategic partnership.

The trip also takes place on the threshold of the 10^th anniversary of the Viet Nam - Thailand strategic partnership in 2023, Ngoc noted, highlighting the maintained contact at all levels between the two States, Governments, parliaments, and peoples, along with great strides in different spheres, especially economy, trade, and investment.

This is an occasion for Vietnamese and Thai leaders to discuss major orientations for further promoting economic, trade, and investment links; expanding cooperation to new and potential areas like digital economy, digital transformation, and green economy; and stepping up cooperation in culture, education, sports, people-to-people exchange, and locality-to-locality ties, he said.

He expressed his belief that the visit will demonstrate Vietnamese and Thai leaders’ strong determination to unceasingly promote the enhanced strategic partnership, thereby contributing to ASEAN solidarity as well as regional and global peace, stability, cooperation, and development.

The official said during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, President Phuc will engage in a number of multilateral and bilateral activities, including two in-depth discussions where he and heads of delegations from 21 member economies will look into the situation, solutions to difficulties, and measures for accelerating economic recovery and boosting balanced, sustainable, and inclusive growth.

Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc.(Photo: Hong Nguyen)

This is a chance for Viet Nam to share its viewpoints and experience and suggest orientations so that APEC cooperation will contribute more effectively to the settlement of common challenges in the region, for the sake of all members, according to Ngoc.

He added that the Vietnamese delegation will make active, proactive, and responsible participation in meetings; uphold the dialogue and solidarity spirit and multilateralism; and join other members to seek solutions to help APEC surmount difficulties and challenges, protect the obtained achievements and core values of cooperation, and continue developing strongly in the future.

Through the APEC meeting, Viet Nam will show international friends and businesses itself as a dynamic and creative economy with fast and sustainable development.

In the time to come, it will continue joining other APEC members to overcome challenges and build an open, dynamic, resilient, and peaceful Asia-Pacific community, the deputy minister noted./.