Prime Minister meets foreign leaders, partners in Brussels
WVR/VNA - On December 14 (local time), on occasion of the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with foreign leaders and partners, including Germany, Italy, Portugal, Czech, Poland, Greece, European Commission (EC), Croatia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Luxembourg, European Council.
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At his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister Chinh suggested Vietnam and Germany step up their economic links while expanding cooperation in climate change response, energy transition, digital economy and green growth.
Chancellor Scholz, for his part, affirmed that Germany wishes to coordinate with Vietnam in promoting their strategic partnership in an intensive, effective, pragmatic and comprehensive manner.
The two sides agreed to support and coordinate with each other in regional and international issues, significantly contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the two regions and the world at large.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. (Photo: VGP) |
Meeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Chinh stressed the importance Vietnam attaches to its relations with Italy – an important member of the EU and G7, and also a leading economic and development partner of Vietnam in Europe.
He thanked Italy for its donation of COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam, and suggested the two countries utilise cooperation opportunities generated by the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to raise bilateral trade to 7 billion USD in the next 2-3 years.
Prime Minister Chinh also called on Italy to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and support the EU's early lifting of the “yellow card” warning on Vietnamese fisheries, thus facilitating Vietnamese aquatic products’ access to the EU and Italy.
Prime Minister Meloni agreed with her Vietnamese counterpart’s proposals and suggested the two countries continue to effectively materialise bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the 4th defence dialogue in Italy next year.
Prime Minister Chinh invited Prime Minister Meloni to visit Vietnam, and the Italian Prime Minister accepted the invitation with pleasure.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets Portuguese Prime Minister António Luís Santos da Costa. (Photo: VNA) |
The Vietnamese Prime Minister and his Portuguese counterpart António Costa agreed on measures to bolster the bilateral relations in the time ahead, especially cooperation in economy, trade and investment.
Prime Minister Chinh said the two countries should make the best use of the EVFTA and called on Portugal to create optimal conditions for Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products to make deeper inroads into the market and the EU, soon ratify the EVIPA and back the EU to soon remove the “yellow card” warning.
The two sides would boost cooperation in other fields like tourism, science-technology, green growth and digital transformation, he continued.
In reply, Prime Minister Costa committed that Portugal will provide maximum support so that the warning will be removed, saying the Portuguese Government backs and hopes for the ratification of the EVIPA in 2023, and stands ready to facilitate the access of Vietnamese seasonal fruits and fishery products to the EU and Portugal.
The Prime Minister suggested the two countries forge cooperation in infrastructure, renewable energy and electronic financing, and launch green investment projects in Vietnam.
The leaders concurred to enhance exchanges and collaboration in culture, tourism, education-training and national defence in the time ahead.
At another meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Prime Minister Chinh emphasised that Vietnam is willing to create conditions for key products of the Czech Republic such as crystal, beer, food, equipment, machinery and spare parts to enter the Southeast Asian nation, and appealed to the European country to facilitate the exports of Vietnamese garments-textiles, footwear, farm produce, seafood and tropical fruits.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. (Photo: VGP) |
He urged the country to bolster educational cooperation with Vietnam, especially granting more scholarships to its students, and support the EU to remove the “yellow card” warning.
Prime Minister Fiala said the two countries should deepen their bilateral ties, effectively implement the EVFTA, soon sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in auto production, including electric cars, and intensify collaboration in national defence.
The leader noted his hope for the early establishment of a direct air route between the two countries to enhance people-to-people exchange and boost tourism.
Prime Minister Chinh took the occasion to invite Prime Minister Fiala to visit Vietnam and the latter accepted the invitation with pleasure.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Chinh also had a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, during which the Vietnamese leader called for efforts to raise two-way trade to 3 billion USD in the next 2-3 years.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki. (Photo: VGP) |
Prime Minister Morawiecki said he hopes that Vietnam and Poland will strengthen cooperation in trade, pharmacy, shipbuilding, national defence, and machinery manufacturing.
Prime Minister Chinh and his Greek counterpart Kyriákos Mitsotákis agreed to beef up cooperation in economy and trade, considering it a prime priority in the bilateral ties.
Prime Minister Mitsotákis said the two countries should foster partnership in infrastructure, maritime transport, shipbuilding and tourism, promising that Greece will create conditions for Vietnamese produce to access the market.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Greek counterpart Kyriákos Mitsotákis. (Photo: VGP) |
At another meeting with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Chinh stressed that Vietnam treasures its relations with the EU, and suggested the two sides further coordinate to
He called on the EU to help Vietnam in maritime economic development, facilitate the export of Vietnamese products, soon remove the “yellow card” warning, and support the country in economic restructuring and sustainable development.
Prime Minister Chinh proposed the EC urge EU members to ratify the EVIPA to open up new investment opportunities for the two sides.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. (Photo: VNA) |
EC President Leyen, for her part, recognised the progress the two sides have made in handling the “yellow card”, and affirmed that the EU strongly supports Vietnam in sustainable maritime economic development and biodiversity conservation, and stands ready to assist the nation in sustainable agricultural development, and cooperate with the country in ensuring food security in the region and the world.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Chinh had a meeting with Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, during which the leaders concurred to step up economic cooperation, and accelerate the implementation of projects in potential areas, particularly navigation, transportation, light industry and clean energy.
Prime Minister Chinh also met with President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, President of the European Council Charles Michel, and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
(Source: WVR/VNA)
