Hanoi, November 19, 2025 – The Europe Today: Party General Secretary Tô Lâm on Tuesday welcomed Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák during his official visit to Việtnam, affirming that the trip coincides meaningfully with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties and contributes to strengthening the long-standing traditional friendship between the two nations.
General Secretary Lâm stressed that Slovakia has always been a close and loyal friend of Việtnam, extending gratitude to the Slovak Government and people for their steadfast support and solidarity over the past seven and a half decades.
He highly valued the outcomes of the talks between Deputy PM Kaliňák and Vietnamese Politburo member, Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National Defence, Gen. Phan Văn Giang. He noted that defence cooperation — guided by the 2015 memorandum of understanding — has recorded positive results and has become one of the key pillars of bilateral ties. He proposed further enhancing collaboration in defence industry, military training and UN peacekeeping operations.
Boosting Cooperation Across Multiple Fields
On the basis of strong political trust, the Party chief urged the two countries to maintain the exchange of delegations at all levels and to continue improving the effectiveness of existing cooperation and consultation mechanisms, aiming for practical, comprehensive and sustainable bilateral cooperation.
He called for favourable conditions for ministries, agencies and businesses of both sides to expand partnerships, particularly in economy and science-technology, turning these sectors into major pillars of bilateral relations. He also emphasised the importance of enhancing cooperation in culture, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
On this occasion, General Secretary Lâm extended an invitation to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to visit Việt Nam at an early date.
Slovakia Reaffirms Strong Commitment to Việt Nam
Deputy PM Kaliňák expressed his admiration for Việt Nam’s recent socio-economic achievements, which he said have elevated the country’s role and stature in Asia. He stressed that Slovakia remains proud of its 75-year partnership with Việt Nam and reaffirmed that Việt Nam continues to be one of Slovakia’s most important partners in the region.
Kaliňák said the Slovak Government and people wish to further strengthen the effectiveness of multifaceted cooperation, especially in national defence and other fields of shared interest. He welcomed the Party leader’s proposals and pledged close coordination with Slovak ministries and Vietnamese partners to advance bilateral relations in line with both countries’ potential.
Highlighting strong complementarities in the defence industry, he affirmed Slovakia’s readiness to cooperate with Việt Nam on research, joint production and other defence-related projects.
The Slovak leader also suggested enhancing cooperation to identify and preserve historic sites in Slovakia associated with President Hồ Chí Minh, underscoring their educational value for younger generations and their role in enriching the traditional friendship between the two nations.
Commitment to Regional and International Cooperation
Kaliňák praised Việtnam’s constructive role in international and regional forums, expressing hope that the two countries would continue close coordination within international organisations and through ASEAN–EU cooperation mechanisms to promote new initiatives contributing to peace, stability and development regionally and globally.
He further highlighted the role of the Vietnamese community in Slovakia as an important bridge that nurtures friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples.
Earlier the same day, Deputy PM Kaliňák also held talks with Việtnam’s Minister of Public Security, Lương Tam Quang.
