Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has suggested that Vietnam and Israel soon discuss a possible bilateral free trade agreement to accelerate two-way trade in the future.

Meeting visiting Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Yair Shamir in Hanoi on October 31, PM Dung urged the prompt formation of a joint committee to boost cooperation between the two countries.

He voiced his hope that Israel will continue its ODA provision to Vietnam, focusing on human resources training, infrastructure development and climate change response.

He said the two sides should further strengthen cooperation on the application of high technology in agriculture and telecommunications. The PM pledged that the Vietnamese Government will create all possible conditions for Israeli businesses to invest in the field in Vietnam.

Hailing the outcomes of the talks between Yair Shamir and his Vietnamese counterpart Cao Duc Phat, PM Dung said there is room for both sides to cooperate, especially in science and technology, agriculture, defence and security, trade, and investment.

Therefore, he said, both countries should work more closely together to speed up their cooperation in areas of each side’s strengths for mutually practical benefits.

In reply, Yair Shamir said his visit aims to further foster investment cooperation between the two countries, especially in agriculture.

Expressing his delight with the cooperation results between the two countries over the past year, the Israeli minister said the two sides should design a more favourable legal framework to bolster their cooperation as two-way trade could increase rapidly in the future from the current figure of over one billion USD.

He proposed that besides coordinating in agriculture, Vietnam and Israel should also expand their cooperation in pharmaceuticals, high technology, chemicals, fertiliser production, and development cooperation.-VNA