Vietnam treasures sound relations with Kuwait

Khai hailed Kuwait’s role and position in the region and thanked the Middle East nation for creating optimal conditions for Vietnamese workers and expatriates , particularly amid COVID-19.

He voiced his hope that the two countries’ cooperation will grow and flourish across multiple fields in the time ahead, apart from oil and gas. Two-way trade between Vietnam and Kuwait surpassed US$3.2 billion in 2020 and reached over US$3.25 billion during the first nine months of 2021.

The Kuwaiti minister highlighted Vietnam as an important partner of his nation and expressed his hope for the bilateral relations to further develop across economy, trade and investment.

Labour is also a successful cooperation area between the countries, he said, while hoping that such collaboration will be further enhanced and more Vietnamese students will come to study in Kuwait.

The Prime Minister of Kuwait has decided to donate Vietnam 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and the Government of Kuwait would consider offering more assistance to Vietnam in pandemic prevention and control, the Kuwaiti minister told Khai.

Regarding oil and gas cooperation, he said that the Nghi Son refinery and petrochemical complex project, a joint work between Vietnam, Kuwait and Japan, has been successful in terms of technical aspect. He hoped that the Government of Vietnam will continue to support the success of the project.

In response, Khai said that this is the largest petrochemical refinery project in Vietnam with capital from large oil and gas corporations. Considering it an important one, the Vietnamese Government has so far granted the project many preferential policies, he added.

Once operational, the complex will supply the Vietnamese market about 5-6 million tonnes of gasoline and oil annually, helping ensure energy security.