Vietnam considers Spain a potential partner in EU

To further deepen the Vietnam - Spain strategic partnership, Chinh suggested the two countries make good use of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to raise their two-way trade to US$5 billion in the next two to three years, and at the same time accelerate the implementation of projects on development cooperation.

He also suggested both sides continue to improve the efficiency of cooperation in the fields of science - technology, climate change response, national defense and the environment. He asked Spain to have an active voice so that the European Commission can soon remove the ‘yellow card’ imposed on Vietnamese seafood.

Pedro Sanchez, for his part, agreed with Chinh’s proposal, and assured Spain, as the rotating chair of the EU in the last six months of 2023, would lobby EU member states to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

Pedro Sanchez highly appreciated Vietnam’s role and position both regionally and globally, and cordially invited Vietnam to join the International Drought Resilience Alliance initiated by Spain and Senegal that has so far attracted the participation of more than 30 countries worldwide.

He also assured Chinh that Spain would continue to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam both bilaterally and multilaterally in the fields of digital transformation and renewable energy.

The Spanish Prime Minister expressed his wish to visit Vietnam soon, and cordially invited the Vietnamese Prime Minister to visit Spain at an appropriate time.

Chinh happily accepted the invitation and said the visit would be arranged through diplomatic channels.

The two leaders’ meeting took place in Brussels on the sidelines of the ASEAN - EU summit to mark 45 years of their dialogue partnership.