Vietnam’s Vice President Visits Georgia

Vietnamese Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân arrived in Georgia on October 12 for an official visit, with the delegation holding meetings with Georgian Dream government officials and signing bilateral cooperation documents.

Xuân was welcomed at Tbilisi International Airport by Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili. During the visit, she met with Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, GD-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili, and the disputed Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.

On October 12, Xuân met with Irakli Kobakhidze at the Government Administration, where an expanded-format meeting was also held with members of both governments’ cabinets.

The meeting touched upon the relations between Georgia and Vietnam and opportunities for cooperation in “various fields,” highlighting that the “opening of the Embassy of Georgia in Vietnam will be an important step in this process,” according to the government’s press service.

The sides also expressed readiness to strengthen political and economic ties, underscoring “growing dynamics of trade turnover between Georgia and Vietnam in recent years and the positive indicators in tourism.”

According to the press service, they also highlighted Georgia’s “strategic location” and “the role of the Middle Corridor as a route connecting Europe and Asia, which creates new opportunities to strengthen ties between Georgia and Vietnam.”

Kobakhidze thanked the Vietnamese official for “supporting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” He later hosted an official dinner for Vice President Xuan, with both sides reaffirming “their readiness to further deepen bilateral relations.”

Separately, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister George Zurabashvili met with his Vietnamese counterpart, Đặng Hoàng Giang, on the same day.

According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the officials discussed “prospects for developing bilateral and multilateral cooperation,” focusing on Georgia’s “transit potential and opportunities for deepening trade and economic relations.”

The meeting concluded with the signing of “a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation” between the Georgian and Vietnamese foreign ministries.

On October 13, GD-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili hosted Vice President Xuân at the Presidential Palace.

“The sides discussed developing bilateral relations, deepening high-level political dialogue, and expanding cooperation in trade and economy, transport, investment, tourism, education, culture, and technology,” Kavelashvili’s administration said, adding that he congratulated the Vietnamese Vice President on her re-election.

During the meeting, “innovation, information-communication technologies, artificial intelligence, science, and research” were highlighted as key areas of cooperation, as well as “developing direct links between universities and academic cooperation.”

Disputed Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, along with the ruling party MPs, met Vice President Xuân on the same day.

Papuashvili thanked the Vietnamese side for their support of Georgia’s territorial integrity and “underscored the importance of international law principles in today’s turbulent world.”

According to the Parliament’s press release, “Xuân emphasized the rapid pace of Georgia’s economic development and the efforts of the Georgian authorities aimed at protecting national interests, identity, and culture.” The parties discussed “the importance of deepening parliamentary cooperation, including between friendship groups and sectoral committees.”

“Xuân stated that Vietnam is ready to become a bridge between Georgia and the countries of Southeast Asia and to help deepen Georgia’s relations with that region,” the press release said, adding that the meeting also covered potential cooperation in trade, economy, business, innovation, tourism, education, culture, and sports.

“The parties welcomed the plan to open a Georgian embassy in Vietnam next year, which will help bring relations between the two countries to a new level,” the press release noted.

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