The working visit of a European Parliament (EP) delegation to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City was aimed at promoting the ties between the EU and Vietnam, according to Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to Vietnam Franz Jessen.

The ambassador made the statement at a press conference in Hanoi on October 30 on the occasion of the visit of the EP delegation, led by EP’s Committee for Southeast Asia and ASEAN Relations Chairman Werner Langen.

Langen said the recently signed Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between EU and Vietnam manifests the EU’s commitment to further promoting across-the-board cooperation that will benefit both sides, adding that EU and Vietnam have identified several prioritised areas within the PCA framework for early implementation.

According to Langen, it is now an important time in the EU-Vietnam relations, and when the two sides sign the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in the near future, it will help both sides effectively tap their potential in economics, trade and investment. The EU and Vietnam are scheduled to hold the fifth negotiation round on their FTA in Vietnam in early November.

He noted that EU is Vietnam ’s biggest export market while Vietnam is an important trade partner of the EU, and hoped this relation will further develop in the coming time.

The EP official maker also spoke highly of Vietnam’s role in the ASE AN as well as in bridging ASEAN and EU, saying that the two sides can learn experience from each other.

With the joint efforts, ASEAN can meet the goal to set up the ASEAN Community in 2015, he added.-VNA