NA Chairwoman hosts Ambassadors, Head of EU delegation

During her reception of Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam Bruno Angelet, Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said the European Parliament has played an important role in boosting Vietnam EU cooperation. 

She called on the EU to soon complete the last procedures for the Vietnam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) to take effect, work together with the Southeast Asian nation in reviewing legal issues and accelerating the ratification of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and recognize Vietnam’s market economy status.

Ambassador Angelet pledged to accelerate early enforcement of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and the Vietnam- EU Free Trade Agreement as well as recognition of market economic status for Vietnam.

At a reception for British Ambassador Giles Lever, Chairwoman Ngan expected further cooperation with the UK in trade and investment. Ambassador Lever said British ODA will focus on technical assistance programs.

She suggested increasing the presence of UK businesses in Vietnam in such areas as finance and banking, infrastructure development, insurance, science and technology, oil and gas, and aviation.

Vietnam wants to receive the UK Government’s assistance to deal with climate change, salinity intrusion and drought challenging the country’s central and Central Highlands regions, Ngan told his guest.

The UK diplomat said the two countries have great potential for broader cooperation in education and training and science and technology, adding that his nation praises Vietnam’s dynamic development and wants to increase their presence in Southeast Asia and particularly in Vietnam.

Meeting with German Ambassador Christian Berger, the top legislator expected Germany to become the EU’s top investor in Vietnam with US$5 billion of investment capital and two way trade turnover of up to US$20 billion.

She thanked German Government for its marked official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam over the past while, saying the aid is of significance to the country’s socio-economic development and international integration, particularly in its priority areas like vocational training, renewable energy and climate change response.

Ambassador Berger said a bilateral chamber of commerce was in the pipeline to promote bilateral trade, noting that Vietnam is not included in the list of countries to which Germany will cut its ODA as his country considers the Southeast Asian nation a strategic partner.

The diplomat affirmed Germany's willingness to share its development experience with Vietnam, covering skill improvement for labourers while suggesting the country establish a vocational training system based on businesses’ real demands.

He proposed setting up a joint chamber of commerce and industry to help the two sides acquire investment climate-related information in their respective countries in a bid to strengthen their affiliation in economy, trade and investment in the near future.