>>Vietnam, Belgium to share legislative experience
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel have agreed to accelerate cooperation in numerous fields during the PM’s official four-day visit to Belgium starting from October 16.
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| PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel witness the signing of some cooperation documents between agencies and businesses of the two countries__Photo: VNA |
PM Michel said the two PMs had concurred that it was a crucial moment for cooperation deals between the two Governments and businesses from both sides to be inked, at a press briefing held following the two leaders’ talks in Brussels.
During the talks, the two sides discussed a number of significant ways to intensify the economic cooperation between Vietnam and the European nation, especially in the fields of bilateral trade and investment. They also discussed frameworks to promote free trade agreements between Vietnam and the European Union, in which the host committed to supporting Vietnam.
The Belgian leader added that cooperation in academia, education and training and cooperation exchanges in these areas were also discussed.
Regarding multilateral cooperation, as the president of the European Parliament in 2019, Belgium pledged to support Vietnam’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council in the 2020-21 period. The two countries would support each other to promote peace, stability, security, safety, and free navigation and aviation in the South China Sea (called East Sea by Vietnam) and stand against unilateral acts as well as acts violating international peace and laws. They concurred that all disputes must be addressed through peaceful means and in line with international laws, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
In the spirit of mutual understanding and trust, PM Michel said Belgium would like to cooperate with Vietnam in the field of agriculture, helping Vietnam to develop a green farming industry with standardized processes for food safety.
For his part, the Vietnamese PM said the visit to Belgium was of significance as it took place on the occasion of the two countries celebrating their 45th year of bilateral relations.
PM Phuc said that during the talks, the two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of agriculture, education and training, culture, and transportation; facilitate businesses from both sides to invest and do business in each other’s market, especially in the context of the Vietnam - Europe Free Trade Agreement expected to be signed soon.
The PM said they also stressed the development of tertiary education to share experience in human resource training in Vietnam; affirming that comprehensive and effective cooperation was of extreme importance in bilateral ties.
According to PM Phuc, a number of Belgian investment projects have gained successes in Vietnam and the country was making non-stop efforts to better its investment environment to attract more foreign investors, including Belgian ones, in the future.
Following the talks, the two PMs witnessed groups and enterprises from both sides signing a number of bilateral cooperation agreements in agriculture, food safety, sea ports and other fields.- (VNS/VLLF)
