Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang holds online meeting with Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade

The session aimed to discuss the bilateral cooperation situation and preparations for the fourth session of the Vietnam - Venezuela Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technological Cooperation.

Also attending the working session on the Venezuelan side were Marynna Saadtjian, Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade, Estela del Valle Quijada Suarez, Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the Venezuelan Embassy in Vietnam, and a technical team from Venezuela's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

On the Vietnamese side, participants included the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Venezuela, a representative of the leadership of the Department of American Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and units under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT): the Department of Foreign Market Development, the Department of Oil, Gas and Coal, and the Trade Promotion Agency.

At the session, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang, on behalf of MoIT, extended condolences and sympathy to the leadership and people of Venezuela over the loss of life and property caused by the two earthquakes in June, while expressing confidence that Venezuela would soon overcome the damage and continue to develop.

Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang welcomed the two sides' agreement to hold the fourth session after a long period during which the Intergovernmental Committee cooperation mechanism had been interrupted. The Deputy Minister also thanked and highly appreciated the fact that Venezuela's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade had been appointed by Venezuela's senior leadership as chair of Venezuela's sub-committee within the Intergovernmental Committee.

Venezuelan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrea Corao Faria expressed sincere thanks for the sentiment and attention of the Government and people of Vietnam, highly valued the friendship, solidarity and close ties between the two countries over the years, and affirmed that the fourth session of the Vietnam - Venezuela Intergovernmental Committee would be an opportunity for the two sides to review the state of cooperation and identify priority, substantive areas within the comprehensive cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Venezuela in the new context.

The two deputy ministers discussed and agreed to promote the organization of the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Committee in late 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela. Both sides designated focal points to continue discussions and finalize the agenda for the session, focusing on areas where the two sides have needs, potential and strengths, such as trade, agriculture, energy, telecommunications and culture, in line with the cooperation pillars agreed upon in the Bilateral Agenda for the 2026 - 2030 period.

At the session, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade also asked the Venezuelan side to help provide information and remove certain difficulties in business cooperation activities, as well as extended an invitation to delegations from Venezuelan agencies and businesses to attend trade promotion events organized by MOIT.

The fourth session of the Vietnam - Venezuela Intergovernmental Committee is expected to help create new momentum for economic, trade and investment relations between Vietnam and Venezuela.