Argentine Minister comments on ties with Vietnam

Hanoi (VNA) - Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Jorge Faurie granted an interview to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of his official visit to Vietnam from July 28-31 at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Asked about the purpose and significance of his visit, Faurie said it reflects the good bilateral relationship as the two countries are celebrating the 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties this year. Two-way trade has reached 3 billion USD, mostly in farm produce. However, he said, both sides would make greater efforts to raise the figure and diversify exports, he said.

The Argentine delegation held a working session with representatives of the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, during which they proposed boosting exports of Argentine fruits to Vietnam as well as Vietnamese fruits and vegetables to Argentina and discussed the possibility of exporting rice to the Latin American country.

The minister suggested reinforcing cooperative ties in other important fields like industrialised agriculture, which involves biotechnology, seedlings, and artificial insemination of cattle.

This September, a Vietnamese business delegation will visit Buenos Aires and the Vietnam-Argentina Joint Committee will convene a meeting there, proving that apart from political dialogue, both sides are stepping up trade and technical cooperation dialogues as well.

On the Argentina-Vietnam ties at present, Faurie highlighted the development of political dialogues, trade, and technical exchanges over the past years. Argentine President Mauricio Macri invited Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the country during a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Outreach Summit in Canada. President Macri also accepted an official invitation to visit Vietnam, he said, adding that the Argentine side is working to prepare for the visit slated for next year.

As Argentina is the second largest trade partner of Vietnam in Latin America, while Vietnam is the sixth largest trade partner of Argentina in Southeast Asia, Faurie suggested increasing the presence of Vietnamese products in the Latin American country.

In order to boost exports of Vietnamese farm produce to Argentina, focus should be given on hygiene safety and plant quarantine, he said, suggesting that goods could be shipped via waterway and transit points in Mexico or Peru.

Expressing his eagerness to help Vietnamese firms seek partners for transportation, Faurie said the upcoming visit by Vietnamese enterprises is very important.

According to the minister, the two countries are strong in different agricultural areas for export. Specifically, Argentina is strong in soybeans, corn, and temperate fruits while Vietnam holds strength in rice and tropical fruits, and as such both sides complement each other with their exports. He underscored the need to further increase Vietnamese products in Argentina.

Priority will be given to trade, diversification of products, and enhanced cooperation with Vietnam so that more Vietnamese products will appear in Argentina, he said.

The minister said Argentina is considering the possibility of partnering with Vietnam in biotechnology and veterinary medicine to improve product quality.

Vietnam is strong in information technology while Argentina is experienced in energy, which could be a direction for cooperation with each other in the future, he added.–VNA