President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev gave an interview to the Vietnam News Agency of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

AzVision.az presents the interview:

- On May 7-8, 2025, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam will pay a state visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan. How would you assess the current state of bilateral relations and cooperation between our countries?

- First of all, I would like to note that Azerbaijan and Vietnam enjoy friendly relations, which have a history of more than half a century. In particular, in 1959, President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh visited the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1983, National Leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, who was First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers at the time, traveled to Vietnam. Undoubtedly, these landmark visits laid a solid foundation for the development of cooperation between our countries.

My state visit to your country in 2014 and the official visit of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Mr. Truong Tan Sang, to the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2015 opened a new chapter in the relations between our states and gave impetus to their further development. Within the framework of President Truong Tan Sang's visit to Azerbaijan, the first Azerbaijan-Vietnam business forum was held, which, along with government officials, was joined by representatives of business circles from oil and gas, energy, construction, information and communication, financial, industrial, trade, tourism, transportation, pharmaceutical and other spheres.

The Azerbaijan-Vietnam Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technical Cooperation was established to develop cooperation in various fields and identify new areas of interaction. The Commission serves as an important platform for regular dialogue and effective realization of joint initiatives.

Political consultations are held through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the last of which took place in the latter half of April this year. The parliaments of both countries have working groups on interparliamentary relations.

Our countries effectively cooperate within the framework of major international organizations, including the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the UN.

Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the development of economic and trade ties with Vietnam. In 2024, the volume of trade between our two countries amounted to 223.93 million USD. There is no doubt that we have the potential to further increase this indicator.

Our countries also cooperate in the oil sector. In 2019, an agreement was signed between the Vietnamese state-owned Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company and SOCAR. Our cooperation in the oil industry is based on a strong historical foundation – Azerbaijani specialists have played a key role in the development of Vietnam's oil industry. It is not by chance that the first general director of Vietsovpetro joint venture, established with the assistance of the Soviet Union in 1981, was Azerbaijani Jalal Mammadov.

Our cooperation in cultural, humanitarian and educational spheres dates back to the Soviet era and has been further bolstered in recent years. In 1955, Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev wrote the “Vietnam Suite” for the first Soviet-Vietnamese documentary film about the Vietnam War, which premiered in Hanoi in 2023. In 1959-1962, at the invitation of President Ho Chi Minh and at the suggestion of the Soviet government, Azerbaijani director Ajdar Ibrahimov took an active part in the establishment of the Vietnamese film school, where he conducted master classes and made three films. In recognition of his services, he was awarded the highest order of labor of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

During the Soviet era, about 5,000 Vietnamese studied in Azerbaijan, many of whom currently hold senior positions in state institutions in Vietnam. During my visit to Hanoi in 2014, a meeting was held with Vietnamese alumni of Azerbaijani universities, and they spoke warmly about our country and their years in Azerbaijan. In 2015, the Vietnam-Azerbaijan Friendship Association was founded in Hanoi, bringing together Vietnamese alumni of Azerbaijani universities.

Speaking about the cultural ties between our countries, I would like to note that they continue to develop and strengthen through various initiatives and projects. For example, in 2024 Baku hosted the screening of the movie “Legend Makers” dedicated to the heroism of your soldiers during the Vietnam War. In the same year, the Days of Vietnam were held in our capital on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh's visit to Azerbaijan.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation is implementing projects in Vietnam, including the construction of an elementary school in Ha Giang Province in 2018. In April this year, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva visited your country, where she met with Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, the spouse of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Ngo Phuong Ly, representatives of the creative industry, heads of the Hanoi College of Commerce and Tourism, as well as alumni of Vietnamese universities who had also studied in Azerbaijan. During the meeting, a certificate of financial support from the Heydar Aliyev Foundation was presented to the Hanoi College of Commerce and Tourism.

Therefore, the relations between Azerbaijan and Vietnam are successfully developing in all key directions.

- What is the significance of the upcoming visit of the Vietnamese leader to Azerbaijan in the context of elevating bilateral relations to a new level?

- Mr. Lam's upcoming visit to Azerbaijan will be his first as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. This visit holds significant political importance, as it will emphasize the aspiration of the two countries to deepen bilateral relations and open new areas of interaction. In this context, the visit can be rightly regarded as an important milestone in the development of Azerbaijan-Vietnam cooperation.

The program of the visit includes a wide range of issues covering key aspects of the bilateral agenda. It will enable a comprehensive exchange of views on topical issues, harmonization of approaches and identification of promising areas for further interaction. Special attention will be paid to political dialogue, trade and economic ties, as well as humanitarian and cultural exchange.

In addition, special importance is attached to the development of inter-party dialogue. The cooperation between the New Azerbaijan Party and the Communist Party of Vietnam is registering positive dynamics, and the forthcoming visit will serve as an additional confirmation of the high level of cooperation on political and ideological basis.

I am convinced that Mr. Lam's visit will be an important impetus for our cooperation and open new horizons for the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Vietnam in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect.

- What are the prospects and potential for the further development of bilateral relations between Vietnam and Azerbaijan?

- I believe that our countries have every opportunity to further develop the potential for cooperation in a variety of areas. If we talk about trade and economic relations, there are ample opportunities for cooperation, which will not only stimulate economic growth but also create a sustainable basis for mutually beneficial partnerships, which, in turn, will contribute to further diversification of our economies.

One of the promising areas for the strengthening of ties between our countries is tourism. The establishment of direct flights between Baku and Vietnamese cities with parallel development of tourism programs will contribute to the interest of citizens of both countries in each other's culture and history. The intensified joint cultural projects, the development of humanitarian programs and joint initiatives in the field of healthcare and environment – all these spheres are of mutual interest for our countries.

And, of course, there is education. As always, we will welcome students from Vietnam. They can take advantage of educational programs offered by Azerbaijan within the framework of grants and scholarships for citizens of NAM member countries. This will improve opportunities for academic exchange, scientific research and interpersonal contacts between Azerbaijan and Vietnam. The implementation of exchange programs, as well as cooperation in science and technology, can become another promising area for the development of bilateral relations.

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