Moscow (VNA) – Vietnam’s active and substantive engagement in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) helps strengthen its international standing and contribute to peace, stability and sustainable development in the region, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia and Azerbaijan Dang Minh Khoi has said.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency ahead of Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan’s participation in the 7th CICA Summit and bilateral activities in Azerbaijan from October 14–16, the diplomat highlighted the significance of Vietnam’s engagement in the forum and prospects for Vietnam–Azerbaijan relations following the upgrade to a Strategic Partnership in May 2025.
According to Khoi, Vietnam joined CICA as a guest in 1993, later became an observer and officially acceded to the forum in June 2010 at its third summit in Istanbul, Türkiye. The move marked a step forward in Vietnam’s expanding participation in multilateral cooperation mechanisms in Asia, helping promote conduct consistent with international law and create a favourable environment for national development.
He said Vietnam–CICA relations reflect shared interests in maintaining peace, stability and trust-building in Asia, particularly as the region plays an increasingly important role in global politics, security and economy but also faces a range of interconnected challenges, from strategic competition among major powers, disagreements and disputes to cybersecurity threats, climate change and risks to economic security.
CICA’s value lies in providing a platform for countries to maintain dialogue, narrow differences and build trust on the basis of commonly accepted principles, without requiring them to share identical views on every issue. This approach aligns with Vietnam’s consistent policy of settling disputes by peaceful measures, respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and complying with the UN Charter and international law.
Vietnam has also made active contributions to CICA’s activities and development orientations by supporting dialogue, consensus, equality among states, respect for sovereignty and peaceful dispute settlement. It has shared ASEAN’s experience in building confidence, strengthening dialogue and promoting cooperation among countries with differing interests and levels of development.
Looking ahead, the ambassador said Vietnam–CICA cooperation has room to become more substantive by linking political and security dialogue with development cooperation.
Notably, as CICA promotes connectivity, digitalisation and sustainable development, Vietnam is paying more attention to areas meeting its development needs such as trade, logistics and supply chains; digital transformation, science and technology, innovation and human resources development; environmental protection, green growth, climate change response and sustainable urban development; as well as people-to-people exchanges, education, culture and cooperation among research institutions and universities, Khoi noted.
He stated that Vietnam’s membership in both ASEAN and CICA enabled it to promote complementarity between the two mechanisms and strengthen links between Southeast Asia, Central Asia, West Asia and other parts of Asia. While differing in scope and functions, the two mechanisms share overlapping areas of interest that can be leveraged to strengthen regional cooperation.
Khoi expressed his belief that CICA would continue to serve as an important platform for dialogue, trust-building and cooperation in Asia.
For Vietnam, active participation in and substantive contributions to CICA not only help implement its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, multilateralisation and diversification of relations, but also create more favourable conditions for enhancing the country’s standing and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development in the region, he added.
Regarding Vietnam–Azerbaijan relations, Khoi said the two nations have maintained longstanding traditional friendship, with diplomatic ties established on September 23, 1992. The state visit to Azerbaijan by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam in May 2025 during which bilateral ties were upgraded to a Strategic Partnership, marked a new milestone, opening up prospects for deeper and more effective cooperation.
Political and diplomatic ties continue to be strengthened, while economic cooperation has gained momentum.
At the third meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade and Scientific – Technical Cooperation in Hanoi on July 17, 2025, the two sides agreed on an action plan for 2025-2027 featuring 58 measures across 17 priority areas. The first meeting of the Vietnam–-Azerbaijan Joint Business Council and a bilateral business forum were also held in Hanoi on July 16, 2025, with companies from the two countries signing cooperation agreements in renewable energy, trade promotion, textiles, agriculture and food.
However, bilateral trade remains modest compared with the two economies’ potential, he said, noting further growth will depend on diversifying traded goods, removing market barriers, reducing logistics costs and strengthening direct business links.
The two sides have opened up new avenues for connectivity in transport and logistics. Azerbaijan occupies a strategic geographical position in the South Caucasus, along routes linking Asia and Europe, while Vietnam is a manufacturing and export hub and a gateway to ASEAN.
During high-level exchanges and the 2025 session of the Intergovernmental Committee, the two sides discussed the use of Trans-Caspian transport routes and the North-South and East-West corridors, while promoting air connectivity. Cargo airline Silk Way West Airlines of Azerbaijan has opened a representative office in Vietnam, and the two sides have also discussed the possibility of launching a Baku–Hanoi passenger air route.
If effectively implemented, this cooperation could help Vietnamese businesses gain easier access to markets in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Europe, while supporting Azerbaijan in expanding its economic presence in Southeast Asia, the diplomat stressed.
Multilaterally, the two countries continue to coordinate at the United Nations and international forums in the spirit of respect for independence, sovereignty and equality, peaceful settlement of disputes and compliance with international law, including the UN Charter, he said.
Looking ahead, Khoi stressed the need to translate political commitments into concrete and measurable cooperation, prioritising energy, oil and gas, trade, investment, science and technology, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges.
Effective implementation of agreements and projects delivering practical benefits to businesses and people will be an important measure of the Vietnam–Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership’s progress, he went on./.
VNA