The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) and related meetings.
Both sides reiterated the importance of Viet Nam–EU relations, welcomed the positive progress in bilateral cooperation, and vowed to further promote high-level visits and exchanges while effectively implementing existing agreements.
They also committed to deepening the Viet Nam–EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in January this year, in a more substantive, effective, and comprehensive manner.
The two sides held in-depth discussions on expanding cooperation in energy, energy security, green transition, energy transition, and strengthening supply chain resilience.
They underscored the significance of maintaining freedom, security, and safety of navigation, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of international maritime routes, diversifying energy sources, and enhancing coordination to improve resilience against external shocks.
Both sides also affirmed their support for efforts to conclude an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Both sides agreed that the swift ratification and entry into force of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) would inject fresh momentum for investment cooperation, attract high-quality capital flows, and further strengthen economic ties.
The Vietnamese diplomat urged the EU to step up its support for Viet Nam in terms of technology transfer, green finance, renewable energy development, smart grids, energy storage, and human resource training.
Viet Nam is resolutely implementing comprehensive measures to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, including fulfilling the commitments made following the European Commission's inspection mission in recent March, said Le.
He called on the EU to objectively and comprehensively assess Viet Nam's substantive progress and newly adopted measures, with a view to lifting the "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese seafood exports at an early date.
Viet Nam strictly complies with international standards and is working closely with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) during its assessment process on tax transparency and exchange of information, shared Le.
He urged the EU to acknowledge Viet Nam's concrete efforts and progress and consider removing the Southeast Asian nation from the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes at the earliest review./.