Hanoi, January 23, 2026 – The Europe Today: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng on Friday held talks in Hànội with Christopher Cutajar, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta, who is visiting Việt Nam.
Speaking in an open, candid and friendly atmosphere, Hằng said she was pleased to meet Cutajar again at a special time as Việt Nam is holding the 14th National Party Congress. She underlined the significance of the visit, noting that it would help advance cooperation agreed at their meeting in Malta in September last year and open up new opportunities for collaboration between the two countries at both bilateral and multilateral levels.
Cutajar congratulated Việt Nam on the successful convening of the 14th National Party Congress and expressed his admiration for the country’s long-term development vision and strategic goals towards 2030 and 2045. He noted the growing interest in Việt Nam within Malta and reaffirmed his country’s desire to further expand substantive cooperation in the coming period.
The two sides agreed to step up exchanges and contacts at all levels, particularly high-level engagements and cooperation between the two foreign ministries, and to strengthen the ministries’ role in promoting links among ministries, sectors and localities. On the occasion, Hằng conveyed an invitation from Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung to Maltese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Ian Borg to visit Việt Nam.
On economic, trade and investment cooperation, the Vietnamese official spoke highly of Malta’s role as a transshipment hub in the Mediterranean, and called on Malta to continue leveraging its position as a European Union member to encourage the remaining EU countries to soon ratify the EU–Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). She also urged support for the European Commission’s early removal of the “yellow card” imposed on Việt Nam’s seafood exports.
Cutajar affirmed Malta’s desire to boost trade, cooperation and investment with Việt Nam in areas of mutual strength, including maritime services, seafarer training, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, education and tourism. He said Malta was ready to coordinate business delegations to explore concrete cooperation opportunities.
The officials welcomed the establishment of a political consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministries, and agreed to promote cooperation in education and training, people-to-people exchanges and tourism. They also agreed to enhance their role in strengthening cooperation between Malta and Southeast Asia, and between Việt Nam, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the EU.
Both sides reiterated mutual support at international forums and organisations, reaffirmed their commitment to the United Nations Charter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and stressed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea.
During his visit, Cutajar also held a working session with the leadership of the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam and met with its students.
