TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide, in telephone talks with Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong on Monday, pledged his country’s support for COVID-19 vaccinations in the Southeast Asian country, including the preparation of cold storage equipment for vaccines.

Suga also vowed to provide about 200 million yen in vaccination aid to Laos, in his congratulatory message to new Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith and new Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh on their elections by their country’s parliament the same day.

The telephone talks between Suga and Trong were held at the request of the Vietnamese side, following Trong’s re-election as general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

In the talks, the Vietnamese leader expressed appreciation for the Japanese offer of vaccination support.

Suga and Trong agreed that their countries will continue to cooperate closely toward 2023, the 50th year since the two countries established diplomatic relations.

Meanwhile, the Japanese leader expressed “serious concern” over the situations in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, as well as in Myanmar, after China created a new law on the use of weapons by its coast guard.

Suga also asked for Vietnam’s continued support for Japanese efforts to resolve the issue of Japanese abductees in North Korea. Trong said his country will closely cooperate with Japan on the matter.

JIJI Press