Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his wife Lê Thị Bích Trân arrive at Lennart Meri Tallinn airport in the capital on June 5 morning (local time). VNA/VNS Photo

TALLINN — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, his wife Lê Thị Bích Trân and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived at Lennart Meri Tallinn airport in the capital of Tallinn on Thursday morning (local time), starting their three-day official visit to Estonia at the invitation of the country's Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

Welcoming PM Chính, his spouse and the Vietnamese delegation at the airport were Estonian Ambassador to China and Việt Nam Hannes Hanso, Deputy Director of the Estonian State Protocol Department Sven Tolp and the Vietnamese Ambassador to Finland and Estonia Phạm Thị Thanh Bình.

This is the first visit to Estonia by a Vietnamese PM since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992, aiming to elevate the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries to a new level. The visit affirms Việt Nam's consistent policy of always attaching importance to and wishing to strengthen and promote relations with European countries, including Estonia.

Việt Nam and Estonia established diplomatic relations just one year after Estonia declared independence and separated from the Soviet Union. However, Việt Nam and Estonia have not yet opened an embassy in each other's country.

After 33 years, the two countries have exchanged a number of high-level delegations and meetings and established a political consultation mechanism at the deputy minister and department head levels. During meetings, Estonia repeatedly affirmed that Việt Nam is a priority partner in Southeast Asia, and its wish to further promote cooperation. The two countries have also actively coordinated and supported each other at multilateral forums.

The welcome ceremony for Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and the Vietnamese delegation at Tallinn airport on June 5. — VNA/VNS Photo

Economic relations between the two sides remain modest. Trade turnover between the two countries has increased steadily over the years, but by 2024, it had reached only US$73.8 million. Estonia now has five valid direct investment projects in Việt Nam with a total investment of $280,000.

Estonia has actively supported Việt Nam in signing the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and is one of the first EU countries to ratify the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

Estonia helped Việt Nam train students and postgraduates during the era of the former Soviet Union and then, continued to cooperate in training with a number of Vietnamese universities.

During the visit, PM Chính is expected to hold talks and meetings with senior leaders of Estonia, attend a Việt Nam - Estonia business forum and visit several socio-economic and cultural establishments.

The visit is expected to open up new cooperation opportunities between the two countries, especially in the fields of information technology, digital transformation and the economy, artificial intelligence, financial technology, cyber security, smart logistics, digital seaports and e-government development. — VNS