Viet Nam, Belgium agree to bolster bilateral relations
National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue had a meeting with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne in Brussels on September 9, during which they agreed to step up the implementation of substantive measures to further develop the bilateral relations and strengthen strategic coordination in ASEAN and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).
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| National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (fourth from left) meets Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne and other delegates. (Photo: VNA) |
Pierre-Yves Dermagne congratulated the Vietnamese legislative leader on his fruitful meetings with the European Commission (EC) and the European Parliament (EP), especially the signing of a series of contracts and agreements during the two sides’ business forums and seminars.
He thanked the Vietnamese top legislator for spending time on receiving leaders of many leading Belgian businesses, thus meeting the desire to develop bilateral cooperation, especially in economics, trade and investment.
Noting that this is his first trip to Europe and several European countries as the Chairman of the Vietnamese NA, Hue affirmed that the trip’s outcomes will serve as a premise to enhance Viet Nam’s comprehensive collaboration with the EU and its member states.
He stated that Viet Nam attaches great importance to developing cooperation with Belgium - an important member of the EU - and wishes to strengthen the ties in all fields and via various channels.
Hue proposed the two sides maintain successful cooperation at the UN Security Council and UN agencies, and support the early ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), which is expected to help promote investment, and create favourable conditions for enterprises to exploit cooperation potential in the fields of energy, renewable energy, and seaports.
Regarding agriculture, he emphasized the need to implement strategic cooperation contents agreed by the two ministers of agriculture, such as the import and export of fruits and agricultural products with high quality and clear origin, the facilitation of the removal of the EC’s “yellow card” on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to ensure the livelihoods and life of Vietnamese people, and the maintenance of the supply of exports to the EU to serve its people.
The Vietnamese NA Chairman thanked the Belgian Government for providing 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for Viet Nam and suggested Belgium maintain support through the COVAX mechanism, giving priority to Viet Nam in vaccine access and transferring redundant vaccines to Viet Nam.
The Belgian Deputy PM took note of the guest’s proposals and wished that Viet Nam will support large infrastructure projects invested by Belgium, thereby contributing to Viet Nam's development strategy.
He affirmed to support strategic cooperation in the agricultural field to open up new orientations for agricultural products as well as assisting research in this area.
(Source: VNA)
