Dutch PM’s Vietnam visit hoped to lift bilateral relations to new height
The upcoming official visit to Vietnam by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte from November 1-2 is expected to continue lifting the bilateral relations to a new height as the two countries are celebrating the 50th founding anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year.
This will be Rutte’s third visit to Vietnam, after his trips in June 2014 when the two countries agreed to set up a strategic partnership in agriculture and food security, and in April 2019 when the bilateral relationship was upgraded to a comprehensive partnership.
The Netherlands is one of Vietnam’s leading important and time-tested partners. It is currently Vietnam’s biggest investor in the European Union with combined capital of US$13.7 billion, and the largest importer of Vietnamese products in Europe, with two-way trade surpassing US$11 billion.
Vietnam and the Netherlands signed an agreement on strategic partnership in climate change and water management in 2010, and another on strategic partnership in agriculture and food security in 2014.
Commenting on the bilateral friendship, Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Kees van Baar said that the two countries have naturally became partners based on priority areas including climate change adaptation and water management, agriculture, oil and gas, marine economy and logistics services.
Cooperation between the two countries does not stop at the government level, but relations between their universities, research institutes, businesses and social organisations are also very close.
Sharing the same view, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Ngo Huong Nam expressed his hope that during the Dutch PM's upcoming visit, high-tech businesses will invest in the Vietnamese market and contribute to strengthening the bilateral relationship.
He also believed the visit will be an important milestone, opening up a promising future of bilateral cooperation in the coming years.
