Belgian Senate President’s Vietnam visit to bolster all-around cooperation
VOV.VN - The official visit to the nation by President of the Belgian Senate Stephanie D'Hose is set to augment further economic, trade, and investment ties between the two countries, as well as their legislative relations.
This statement was made by Don Tuan Phong, vice chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Committee for External Relations, in a recent exchange with the media ahead of the visit.
Senate President D'Hose is the highest-ranking politician from Belgium to visit the country this year, Phong said, adding that the trip also offers the chance to both sides to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations after they started on March 22, 1973.
It also aims to boost collaboration between both sides at multilateral forums like the UN, along with regional and international inter-parliamentary organisations.
Within the framework of the visit, the Vietnamese NA is set to sign a number of co-operation agreements with both the Belgian Senate and the House of Representatives.
The official highlighted Belgium as being a key Vietnamese partner in both Europe and the wider world, particularly in terms of economics and trade. The European nation serves as a gateway for Vietnamese goods to enter the European market, he went on to say.
As the location where international agencies, organisations, businesses, and EU agencies are headquartered, Belgium plays a crucial role in promoting relations between the country and the EU, along with the region as a whole.
During the course of the visit, the two sides will review their co-operation outcomes over the past five years, as well as outline further measures to build linkages in the time ahead, especially in agriculture in which they have set up a strategic partnership, Phong continued.
Both countries boast strengths and potential to boost collaboration, particularly in the European nation’s spearhead industrial sectors, as well as in services, logistics, clean energy, renewable energy, education-training, and science-technology.
Leaders of both the Belgian Senate and the Vietnamese NA will use the occasion to seek a score of measures aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries, covering their legislative ties, he said, adding that Senate President D'Hose is scheduled to hold talks with NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. This is along with paying a call to State President Vo Van Thuong, meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, holding a working session with Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, and visiting some localities and joint projects of the two countries.
Phong noted Belgium has remained a big development partner of the Vietnamese side over the past years, adding that they have provided the country with roughly US$300 million, mainly from 1993, which has significantly helped with socio-economic development.
Apart from co-ordination at multinational forums, including those of the UN, both nations have paid due attention to economic and trade collaboration.
The Vietnamese side hopes the Belgian Senate will swiftly ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), thereby helping to ensure the interests and access of residents and businesses, especially investors, of both sides, the legislator said.
Phong also called on Belgium to support the European Commission to soon lift its “yellow card” warning placed on Vietnamese seafood, with Vietnamese reality and commitments to sustainable development put into consideration.
