National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan met President of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium Siegfried Bracke in Brussels on April 3.
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| National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan meets President of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium Siegfried Bracke in Brussels on April 3__Photo: VNA |
President Bracke said it was time to sign cooperation agreements in diverse areas, especially agriculture.
He suggested that both countries should work closely together in education, particularly at the tertiary level, adding that creativity was crucial to achieving win-win cooperation.
Ngan said ties between Belgium and Vietnam were growing in a wide range of areas, adding her visit aimed to push the development of bilateral ties. She also expressed her hope that both sides would consider a new cooperation agreement in the near future.
The top legislator stressed Vietnam highly valued its cooperation with Belgium and considered the country an important partner in Europe. Recently, the two nations had recorded successful cooperation in various areas, with bilateral trade hitting USD 2.8 billion last year.
Vietnam was striving to intensify collaboration with Belgium in all fields, particularly in renewable energies like solar and wind power, Ngan said.
The country also wanted to step up bilateral ties in sea port infrastructure, public health, agriculture and education and training. Currently, Belgium offers 40 scholarships to Vietnam on an annual basis, and supports the country via a host of educational projects and cooperation programs with Vietnamese universities and research institutes.
At the meeting, the leaders also discussed the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.
Ngan expressed her hope that the Belgian Federal Parliament would support the European Parliament’s ratification of the agreement to bring practical benefits to Vietnam, Belgium and the EU.
Acknowledging Ngan’s proposals, Bracke said that both sides realized the importance of the EVFTA.
The Belgian side would do its utmost to speed up the process, he affirmed.- (VNS/VLLF)
