President Triet is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem, Head of the State President’s Office Nguyen Van Chien, Minister of Information and Communications Le Doan Hop, Vietnamese Ambassador to Slovakia Nguyen Ba Than and other senior officials of the government.

Earlier in the morning, the farewell ceremony was solemnly held at the El Pardo Palace in Madrid, Spain for President Triet and his spouse.

Before his departure, President Triet and his entourage paid a visit to Barcelona city where he met with the President of Catalonia Region Jose Montilla and Mayor Jordi Hereu.

At the meeting, President Triet underlined that Vietnam and Spain have identified the framework for building “The strategic partnership towards the future” with the aim of lifting bilateral relations to a new height, especially in areas where Spain has strong advantages such as infrastructure, renewable energy, science, technology and tourism.

He welcomed the newly signed cooperation deal between Barcelona and Ho Chi Minh City, saying that the two cities have huge potential for cooperation in infrastructure, urban planning and management, environmental protection, health, and education.

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s Mayor Hereu confirmed that his city pays close attention to promoting cooperative relations with cities and provinces in Vietnam.

At the Vietnam-Spain Business Forum, President Triet expressed his wish that Catalonia authorities would share experiences with Vietnam in developing the regional economy and harmoniously mainstream culture into development plans.

He said Vietnam welcomes Spanish companies, especially those from the Catalonia region, to boost the exchange of information and business ties with Vietnamese partners in the areas sea ports, logistics and tourism for mutual benefit.