Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón on the sidelines of the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit marking 45 years of diplomatic ties in Brussels, Belgium, on December 14.
The meeting took place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations (1977-2022).
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| PM Pham Minh Chinh (second, right) at the meeting with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón (second, left)__Photo: VNA |
Chinh affirmed that Spain is one of the important and potential partners of Vietnam in the European Union (EU).
In order to deepen the Vietnam-Spain strategic partnership, he suggested competent agencies of the two nations work together closely and take full advantage of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), striving to lift two-way trade to 5 billion USD within the next 2-3 years; speed up the progress of development cooperation projects; and enhance the efficiency of cooperation in the fields of science-technology, response to climate change, national defense, and the environment.
Chinh also proposed Spain urge the European Commission (EC) to soon remove its IUU “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese aquatic products.
Pedro Sánchez agreed with Chinh’s proposals and expressed his impression for Vietnam’s achievements in the reform process and international integration.
He pledged that Spain, in its capacity as rotating President of the EU in the second half of 2023, will prompt EU member states to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).
The Spanish leader spoke highly of Vietnam’s role and position in the region and the world, and invited Vietnam to join the International Drought Resilience Alliance initiated by Spain and Senegal with the participation of more than 30 countries.
He suggested the two nations continue to step up bilateral and multilateral cooperation in digital transformation and renewable energy.
Chinh took this occasion to invite Pedro Sánchez to visit Vietnam in 2023, while the Spanish leader invited the Vietnamese PM to visit Spain at an appropriate time. The two leaders accepted the invitations with pleasure and the visits would be arranged via the diplomatic channel.- (VNA/VLLF)
