Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son meets with RoK President Moon Jae-in (Photo: Yonhap News)

Foreign Minister Son on Wednesday met with RoK President Moon Jae-in as part of his official visit to the RoK and attendance of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)-run Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP) ministerial meeting this week.

Mr. Son said he hopes that both nations would maintain regular high-level exchanges and meetings and expand co-operation in economy, trade, investment, and post-pandemic recovery towards raising the two countries' trade turnover to 100 billion USD by 2023.

He also emphasized the necessity of strengthening co-operation in culture, education, tourism, labor, people-to-people exchanges, boosting closer co-ordination in supporting each other's citizens, and continuing to maintain co-ordination at multilateral forums.

Minister Son affirmed that Vietnam will fulfill its coordinating role in ASEAN-RoK relations during the 2021 to 2024 period to develop the relationship between ASEAN and the RoK in a more substantive and effective manner.

He suggested that Vietnam and the RoK would continue to co-ordinate and show a positive stance on maintaining peace, stability, and legal order at sea, respecting freedom of navigation and overflight and settling disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures on the basis of international law

President Moon said the RoK considers Vietnam a key partner in carrying out the New Southern Policy, whilst also voicing his hope that the two sides will soon upgrade their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.