Ms Doan made the affirmation during a March 12 meeting with visiting Belgian Crown Prince Philippe in Hanoi.

She highlighted the Prince’s visit, saying it marks a milestone in the development of bilateral relations, especially as the two countries are celebrating the 40^th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2013.

Crown Vice President Doan thanked Belgium for increasing its official development assistance to Vietnam from €35 million to €60 million for the 2011-2015 period and said she hopes the Belgian government will continue prioritising cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation.

Prince Philippe expressed his admiration for Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements during its Renewal (Doi Moi) process and its increasing position in the region and the world.

He said that his visit, accompanied by more than 200 business representatives, demonstrates the Belgian government’s determination to bolster cooperation with Vietnam.

Both sides expressed their satisfaction with the cooperation in all fields including politics, diplomacy, economics, education, and training. They agreed to maintain exchanges of delegations at all levels and promote cooperation in international and multilateral forums such as the UN, the Asia-Europe Meeting, and ASEAN-EU.

They also agreed to boost student exchanges and create the best possible conditions for their business communities to seek cooperation opportunities.

They highly valued the implementation of joint projects and said they will work closely together to carry out those within the framework of the Vietnam-Belgium Cooperation Programme for the 2011-2015 period, with a focus on education, training, water resources management, irrigation, and waste treatment.

After the meeting, Ms Doan and Crown Prince Philippe witnessed the signing of a protocol to amend the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, two memorandums of understanding between their finance ministries and science and technology ministries, and a letter announcing €3 million added to the Belgian government’s €63 million preferential loans for Vietnam to implement a project to build the second small satellite, VNREDSat-1B, to monitor resources, the environment and natural disasters

** On the same day, Crown Prince Philippe worked with State President Truong Tan Sang who said Vietnam welcomes Belgian businesses investing in education and health care.

He thanked Belgium for providing Vietnam with official development assistance (ODA) and supporting its lawsuit against the EU’s decision to impose anti-dumping tariffs on Vietnamese leather-capped shoes.

He said Vietnam also wants Belgium to back it in Free Trade Agreement FTA negotiations with the EU, adding that it is eager to serve as a gateway for Belgium businesses to expand into the Southeast Asian region.

** Crown Prince Philippe also worked with Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh on March 12.