- Leaders agreed to expand cooperation in tourism, trade, and tech.
- Both nations to explore joint efforts in blue economy initiatives.
- Mutual invitations extended for high-level visits to deepen ties.
Vietnam and Costa Rica possess mutual interests and complementary advantages in key sectors like agriculture, tourism, consumer goods production, software development, and digital transformation, and they ought to collaborate more closely to enhance cooperation in these fields.
The agreement arose from a meeting when Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves met on the sidelines of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, on June 8. Both leaders agreed to assign ministry and agencies to find new pathways and measures to accelerate bilateral trade and investment with consideration for both countries could contribute to this process.
Chaves, who was co-chair of UNOC 3, expressed deep admiration and love for the Vietnamese people after recognizing the harbor's socio-economic development, and that the people are resilient and courageous; witnessing each country is peace-loving, then making sure they have developed national spirit on independence and commitment in conflicts as well as national development. He reflected on the great amount of potential for cooperation, particularly for tourism, noting that Vietnam received nearly 20 million international tourists in 2024.
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As Vietnam and Costa Rica are both coastal economies, the two leaders agreed that both countries share great potential for cooperation in the blue economy, including the ocean's protection, sustainable development, and marine environmental conservation.
They emphasized the importance of international cooperation for ocean protection while focusing on issues such as prevention from plastic pollution, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and especially public awareness through education.
On this occasion, Chinh urged Costa Rica to send a high-level delegation for the signing of the UN Convention against Cybercrime, to take place in Hanoi, Vietnam in October. He also communicated an invitation to Chaves to visit Vietnam soon. In turn, Chaves cordially invited Chinh to Costa Rica soonest, which was readily accepted. Both sides agreed to direct their Foreign Ministries to promptly coordinate preparations for these visits.