Minsk, May 13, 2025 — The Europe Today: Vietnamese Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko jointly announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership during a press statement following their high-level talks in Minsk on Monday.
President Lukashenko welcomed General Secretary Lâm’s official visit as a historic milestone in the long-standing friendship between Belarus and Vietnam. He underscored that both nations had agreed to enhance their relationship to the level of a Strategic Partnership, a move he described as timely and reflective of mutual trust, shared principles of cooperation, and the desire for a long-term, effective collaboration.
During their discussions, both leaders outlined key directions for future cooperation. President Lukashenko affirmed Belarus’ commitment to fully implement all agreements signed and exchanged during this visit. He noted that Belarus would continue supplying Vietnam with competitive export goods, including tractors, automobiles, and select agricultural products.
Highlighting the importance of economic collaboration, President Lukashenko called for strengthening the Vietnam–Belarus Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. He also encouraged both sides to maximise the potential of the Vietnam–Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Free Trade Agreement and to support businesses from both countries in accessing and expanding their operations in each other’s markets.
Further areas identified for deepened cooperation include science and technology, education and training, and subnational exchanges. The two nations have also initiated practical steps to enhance connectivity, such as opening a direct flight route to promote tourism, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural cooperation.
President Lukashenko shared that the talks resulted in consensus on implementing existing agreements and drafting a detailed roadmap for future collaboration.
In his remarks, General Secretary Tô Lâm expressed gratitude for the warm and respectful reception extended to the high-level Vietnamese delegation. He stated that the visit marked the beginning of a new phase in bilateral relations and reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to further strengthening its partnership with Belarus.
The Vietnamese leader hailed the success of the talks, noting that both sides had comprehensively reviewed their cooperation and agreed on practical measures to enhance collaboration in traditional areas, while exploring opportunities in emerging sectors.
The two sides also held in-depth discussions on regional and international issues of shared interest. Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the progress made over the 33 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, particularly in political trust and cooperation in areas such as national defence and security, science and technology, trade and investment, and education and training.
Building on these achievements, the two leaders adopted a Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Belarus, providing a comprehensive framework to elevate bilateral relations to new heights for the mutual benefit of the two peoples and for the promotion of peace, stability, and development in the region and beyond.
A series of cooperation agreements were also signed during the visit, covering areas such as science and technology, healthcare, justice, culture, and people-to-people exchange. These accords signal a promising start to a new era of broad, effective, and deep cooperation.
Looking ahead, General Secretary Lâm said the two countries had agreed to prioritise cooperation in key areas including politics and diplomacy; defence industry; military medicine; training; counter-terrorism; information and cybersecurity; as well as economic, trade, and investment collaboration. Both sides also committed to expanding cooperation into new and strategic fields such as the digital economy, digital transformation, agriculture, industry, and energy.
General Secretary Lâm expressed confidence that the Strategic Partnership framework would unlock a new strategic space for bilateral cooperation, further contributing to regional and global peace, stability, cooperation, and shared prosperity.
