Vienna (VNA) - Most of Austrian major mediachannels and newspapers on July 24 ran articles on the official visit by State PresidentVo Van Thuong and his spouse to the European nation, emphasising that the tripwill enhance the countries’ long-standing and good traditionalrelations.

The site Vienna.at reported that Austrian PresidentAlexander Van der Bellen held talks with his guest in thecapital city of Vienna with an aim of further expanding the bilateral diplomaticrelations that have spanned over five decades since 1972.

Its article quoted the Austrian leader as saying thecooperation between the two nations that has transcended beyond economicmatters and included programmes on climate and the environment protection. He called Vietnam the most important trading partner of Austria in the ASEANregion, an open and dynamic economy, and an attractive destination for Austrian firms.The article also cited Thuong’s statement on Vietnam’s wish for evencloser cooperation with Austria in various areas such as politics, economy,culture, and sports.

During the talks, the leaders discussed cooperation in theIndo - Pacific region and supported an international order based on therule of law and strengthened multilateral systems. Thuong affirmed Vietnam'sdesire to be an active and responsible member of the international community,and to resolve conflicts through peaceful means based on the principles of theUnited Nations Charter and international law.

The article also mentioned that this is Thuong's first visit to a country within the EU since taking office in March thisyear. Ahead of the talks, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg andhis Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son signed a memorandum of understandingon enhancing collaboration between the two nations.

Meanwhile, the website of the Austrian parliament (parlament.gv.at) reported onthe meeting between Thuong and President of the Federal Council Claudia Arpa who emphasised Austria's keen interest in expanding good partnership withVietnam in such areas as renewable energy and health care, among others. Accordingto her, Europe can learn many things from Vietnam's culture of respecting theelderly. The two leaders also discussed the ninth Global Conference of YoungParliamentarians in Vietnam this September. Arpa said that Austria will send adelegation to the event. Both sides supported the strengthening of exchangesbetween the nations’ specialised parliamentary committees.

The official website of Vienna (presse.wien.gv.at) quotedMayor Michael Ludwig as stating that Thuong’s official visit is an importantstep in maintaining and expanding the relationship between Vienna and Hanoi. Accordingto the site, the Vietnamese State leader, in response, expressed his desire fordeeper and broader cooperation between the two capitals across areas,especially tourism, culture, arts, city management, and environment.

In addition to the aforementioned sources, many other onlinenewspapers in Austria such as diepresse.com, heute.at, vol.at, tvthek.orf.at, andpuls24.at also covered the visit extensively, highlighting its significance inmaintaining traditional relations and promoting future cooperation between thesides./.