Dutch PM’s Vietnam visit: Visible goals, ready attitude, breakthrough in cooperation
WVR - Sharing with the press about PM Mark Rutte’s official visit, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Vietnam Kees van Baar noted that this occasion is the important milestone to open a new promising future in bilateral relation in the coming time.
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| Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte received the Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh on official visit to Kingdom of Netherlands in December 2022. (Photo: VNA) |
Promoting cooperation in hi-technology and digital transformation
It’s the third visit Vietnam by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. He previously visited Vietnam in June 2014 and April 2019.
“The visit is of great importance to bilateral relations in the context of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the Netherlands”, Ambassador Kees van Baar stated.
According to the Ambassador Kees van Baar, the visit is to confirm the very good relations between the two countries, especially when the Netherlands is currently the biggest investor from European Union (EU) in Vietnam, with the total capital of approximately 13.7 billion USD. The Netherlands is also the biggest importer of Vietnamese goods in Europe with the trade volume reached 11 billion USD.
Ambassador Kees van Baar said that the main focus of this visit is to promote the bilateral relations in hi-technology and digital transformation.
Previously, during the visit to the Netherlands in December 2022, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited Brainport Technology Center (BIC) in Eindhoven city where concentrates leading technology groups of the Netherlands.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also suggested the Netherlands support to build a “Brainport” in Hanoi like the current one in Eindhoven. This shows that Vietnam is very interested in and focused on high technology development.
The hi-tech industry in Vietnam has huge opportunities and potential for development. Hi-tech groups such as Samsung, LG, Foxconn, and Intel are pouring billions of dollars into Vietnam's industry.
Continuing that momentum, according to Ambassador Kees van Baar, during the Dutch Prime Minister's visit to Vietnam this time, Prime Minister Mark Rutte met with leaders of Vietnam's high-tech enterprises, as well as representatives of leading technology corporations from the United States and South Korea to discuss potential and business development opportunities in Vietnam.
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| Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Kees Van Baar. (Photo: Thu Trang) |
Co-finding resolutions for the common puzzles
Dutch Ambassador noted that apart from technology, promoting cooperation in water, agriculture and climate change are also PM Mark Rutte’s focus during this visit to Vietnam.
Vietnam and the the Netherlands signed the 2 agreements of strategic cooperation namely the Strategic Partnership Agreement on Climate Change and Water Management in 2010 and the Strategic Partnetship on Agriculture and Food Security in 2014.
Ambassador Kees van Baar stressed that Vietnam and the Netherlands have many things in common. Both have the economy based on the trade and international investment, huge delta plains, together facing with difficulties in water and climate change seriously, and the agriculture industry of two countries are oriented to export.
Regarding multilateral cooperation, Ambassador Kees van Baar said that both countries benefit from international rule of law and affirmed their commitment to promote international rule of law.
Within the framework of his visit to Vietnam, the Dutch Prime Minister attended a roundtable subjected "International law and order at sea" organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam in collaboration with Clingendael Academy (Netherlands), and the Dutch Embassy in Vietnam.
The cooperation between two countries is not only seen in government level, but also developed between universities, institutes, businesses and social organziations of the two sides.
In addition, the relationship between the two peoples has flourished and developed well previously when the two sides established diplomatic relations, when the first Dutch merchant fleets docked at Hoi An port at the beginning of the 17th century more than 400 years ago.
“Therefore, the visit by Dutch Prime Minister to Vietnam is the affirmation to good and profound relations between two countries”, Kees van Baar concluded.
| Although bilateral diplomatic relations were established in 1973, long before that, around the early 17th century, Dutch merchants came to Vietnam to buy spices, rice, silk, and porcelain. During Vietnam’s resistance war against the U.S imperialists, many Dutch people took to the streets to protest the war and established the Netherlands-Vietnam Health Committee to provide Vietnam with humanitarian aid. Since the 90s of the 20th century, the two countries’ relationship has been strengthened. The Netherlands considers Vietnam as a prioritised partner and its policy of promoting cooperation with Vietnam has received high support and consensus from the Dutch political and business community. During half a century of cultivation and development, the two countries’ relationship is considered a typical model of “the dynamic and effective relationship”. In 2024, the two countries will celebrate 5 years of Comprehensive Partnership and 10 years of Strategic Partnership on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. Next, in 2025, the two countries will celebrate the 15th anniversary of Strategic Partnership on Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management. These celebrations show the depth of the two countries’ relationship and the fulcrum of confidence that the two countries can go further with new milestones. (Source: WVR) |
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