Belgium wishes to foster ties with Vietnam
VOV.VN - President of the Belgian Senate Jacques Brotchi Belgium has expressed his nation’s desire to boost ties with Vietnam and further broaden new cooperation fields at a meeting with Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in Brussels on April 4.
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| Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) and President of the Belgian Senate Jacques Brotchi |
The two nations boast huge potential to strengthen ties in healthcare and Belgium wishes cooperate with Vietnam in the field of Belgium’s strength.
Many Belgian businesses are keen to intensify their investment and operations in the Southeast Asian nation, he added.
The top Vietnamese legislator said the purpose of the Vietnamese delegation’s visit to Belgium is to maintain and augment all-around cooperation between the two countries in general, and their legislatures in particular.
Ngan briefed her host on Vietnam’s socio-economic development, and its efforts to carry out the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially in promoting gender equality, poverty reduction, healthcare, and education.
Vietnam is working to realize the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards 2030, and the country has issued its National Action Plan to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the NA Chief said.
Vietnam has set up trade ties with roughly 200 countries and territories worldwide. European countries, including Belgium, are major markets for Vietnam with last year’s two-way trade touching US$2.8 billion.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed issues on the acceleration of signing and ratification of the European Union (EU)-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
Ngan also talked about the common benefits in promoting EVFTA, while suggesting the Senate President support and accelerate the signing of the trade pact soon, towards realizing benefits brought by the agreement to Vietnam, Belgium, and the EU.
For his part, Brotchi glowingly spoke of Vietnam’s sustained efforts in the work and voiced his support for the EVFTA, saying that he will help speed up the signing and ratification of the agreement.
He also accepted the Vietnamese top legislator’s invitation to make an official visit to Vietnam at an appropriate time.