PM Dung receives Belgian Crown Prince
Vietnam and Belgium should fully tap their huge potential for trade and investment development, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung while receiving Belgian Crown Prince Philippe in Hanoi on March 12.
Mr Dung described the Prince’s visit as a milestone in the development of bilateral ties.
He affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policies of strengthening friendship and cooperation with Belgium in all fields for mutual benefit.
The PM highlighted the two countries’ two-way trade growth to US$1.6 billion in 2001, up US$400 million over the previous year.
He thanked the Belgian government for committing to provide official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam until 2015.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties in 2013, the Vietnamese Government leader invited his Belgian counterpart to pay an official visit to Vietnam in the near future.
Prince Philippe expressed his admiration for Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements in recent years and its goal of turning itself into a modern industrialized nation by 2020.
He said his visit, accompanied by more than 200 business representatives, aims to boost economic cooperation with Vietnam, especially in the fields of seaport construction, health care, agriculture, green technology and renewable energy.
The Prince expressed his hope that the Government of Vietnam will continue creating favourable conditions for both Vietnamese and Belgian businesses to promote cooperation.